Letter: So...can we stop now?
It seems to have replaced ‘well’ and ‘erm’ in the vocabulary of trendy people and I don’t like it. Let’s look at this for a second.
‘Erm’ is established, it buys you time to think and it means “Just a second whilst I gather my thoughts”.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad‘Well’ means “Ok, what I think is …”. It’s an explainer or the precursor to a suggestion.
But “So …”, that’s a follow-on isn’t it? As in “If this comes apart it will leak, so make sure it’s fitted correctly” - surely. It’s not the start of a conversation.
It seems I can’t turn the TV on recently without someone beginning the answer to a question with “So …”. As in Q: “How did you become the Chief Constable?” A: “So, I’ve been working my way up the ranks …”. It doesn’t fit, it’s annoying and it’s a bit affected - it needs to stop.
Mike Jennings, Copley, Halifax