Has anyone noticed the excessive use of the word ‘SO’to start sentences, particularly when being interviewed on TV?
Also the use of the word ’LIKE’ after every 4 or 5 words during sentences again more noticeable during interviews.
Is this habit another import from the US?

You aren’t allowed to play cricket for Australia unless you start every sentence with “yeah look”.

for me it does not matter what word they start with or end with. its the ability to understand what the hell they are on about. the use of abbreviations for almost anything now loses me. got used to PPI and now we have got PPE.

Abbreviation of the year currently WFH (working from home).

When I first read it I couldn't help but substitute the W in that for my own amusement.

Christ that sounds wrong.

Absolutely.

Whereas everyone knows its only proper place is end of a sentence.
Well, that's what I was told like.

Plus closer to the truth in many cases.

I must admit sitting next to a table of American students is a testing experience.

"So I was, you know, like on my way to the bathroom..."

And wannabe gangsta boys who say innit after a sentence

could be because there are plenty who have never worked on a chemical site. its not just PPE though its just abbreviations in general that seem a growth industry.

We called it safety gear back in the days. Maybe that was too obvious for the suits.
I only heard of it when I had to start translating EPI from French into English.
If people think abbreviations are pervasive in English, you ain't seen nothing compared with the French. Isn't it, Mr Louse.

This reminds me of when my lad (about 5 at the time) made my mother (and me) laugh. As is known, I'm now in the midlands; the boy finds the family's accent both funny and bewildering. One day, his nana had been asking him a load of questions; 'how you're doing, like', 'what are you doing at school, like', etc. After a while, the boy turned to me and said, 'daddy, why does nana keep calling me 'like'? That's not my name'!

Most Irish jockeys start a sentence with "listen".

I can speak Andy Towsend fairly well, all you need to do is start sentences with "I tell you wot Clive".



innit bludfam!

sometimes accompanied by the optional y' know warra mean

you've missed 'marra' off the end there.

That reminds me of the Chinese Takeaway in Blackhall , been run by same family for nearly 50 years
.
When you go to order , the owner Peter will say " worra ya wan marra "

It just sounds bizarre.

It's overuse of the word 'mate' that I find really strange. For example a guy confronts somebody hanging around his car and challenges him with 'what do you think your doing mate?'
a) You don't know him so he's not your mate.
b) He could be trying to break into your car so he's definitely not your mate.
c) He's more than likely to be a scrote so you would certainly not want to be his mate.

Agree, on those police shows they call them mate, oi scrote is more appropriate.

It was shop assistants, usually female, calling me mate that unnerved me the most last time I was in Britain.
"Yes, mate, these ones are very popular with our customers."
"That'll be six quid, mate"

I was fighting back the reply "OK cool, do you do cash backs, bewer? Like?"

Surely you should have said pet, or petal, rather than bewer?

You're surely right but I was getting used to the UK again and the words didn't come easy. That's why I said nowt!

Irritations

1. 'Should of' instead of 'Should have'
2. 'Weary' used instead of 'Wary'
3. 'Mute Point' instead of 'Moot Point'
4. 'We Was' instead of 'we were'
5. People pronouncing the L in almonds
6. Americanisms
7. People who pronounce the C before the T in etcetera. The clue is in the abbreviation 'etc'

1. Corporate speak
2. Sound bites
3. Legalese
4. Accountancy terms
5. People calling any old bunch of initials acronyms
6. People who don't approve of the very useful word yous

Coming back to this, do people still say "squire".
The favourite word of retirement age storemen and tyre depot foremen ("what can I get you/do for you, squire?").

I know I'm a class act but I don't expect that kind of accolade.

I think its inevitable that am accent will soften if you live away for any length of time. I have nearly always worked with people for whom English isn't their first language, so if nothing else I've been conscious of making myself understood by them.

I do like to perpetuate dialect words though. Loads of my kids mates call each other doyle, which is probanly the best achievement. And I think some ice cream vans round hear know what monkey's blood is now.

Being called 'fella'.

Bud! I am not a baby leaf!

Mainly Southerners who say 'Oh my days' at every conceivable opportunity.

I've managed to get one of the guys at the cricket club to use marra when we chat.

do not mind being called anything but Sir. other half hates Madam also. was once quite widespread but only seems to happen in expensive places who think they are something better.

"Oh,Tell me about it mate..mate listen, no word of a lie right "

Nearly as bad as Hun

Think all these words have a shelf life, its considered cool to use them at a certain time, but very uncool to use them once they are past there sell by date , know worra mean like ?

Apologies Mr Horden but Cool, very American. If i say I’m cool then i’ll put the fire on

Starting a sentence with ‘so’ should be a capital offence.

Not sure about about the "So" connection to the 'septics', Ray, but "like" definitely the case.

I first became aware of this use of the word "so" a few years ago when the NHS were threatening strike action and a young female union rep was being interviewed and began every reply with "So". It was quite startling.

Travelling to work on the Underground every day, you were bombarded by "likes". For example, "I, like, met this, like, guy last night, like, and he was so, like, you know, like............" and I would sit there thinking, "No, I haven't a clue what you are on about because you haven't fucking said anything".

I'm not overly keen on words such as "gotten" and "snuck" which we have imported from "The Greatest Nation on Earth" - a country I have heard admit that they are capable of mangling any language in the world.

MJ, I thought it was supposed to be Londoners who always finished a question with a question, don't we?

PI, when I first started work, there were so many people who spoke of a medical cerstificate.

In conclusion, there currently appears to be a move to make the word "are" redundant e.g. "Here is next seasons fixtures..."

One that has crept into use in the last few years & really pisses me off is people saying "everythinK" instead of "everything"

Have you noticed that more and more people are starting to speak in that annoying American way that they finish all their sentences with a rising intonation?

I don't like "buddy", always feels really condescending no matter how it's said. I guess that's how women feel about petal/dear. I am fine with mate/marra/man though.

Also (I am guilty of it though) "at the end of the day,". Personally, people's English doesn't bother me at all. I used to know someone who ended almost every sentence with "n that" and I thought it was hilarious.

Its not a word I would normally use to be honest and its got no connection with me whatsoever Actually I must stop saying , to be honest

I also think being called 'fella' or 'buddy' should also be capital offences.

I say to be honest a lot as well, to be honest...

Also, it's not cool, it's "well sick innit!".

The Aussie inflection that makes a statement sound like a question has spread. Loads of people now do it.

That’s not American. It’s Australian; that’s what MJ was referring to.

Ah yes, I missed that.

Yep, every statement sounds like a question? Cannot stand it? Its fine if its part of your dialect? But if it's just you subconsciously mimicking somebody else that's just daft? Be proud of your own dialect?

The thing is if you call your bromance mate "mate" it sounds a bit distant. So does pal. Buddy gets a bit closer but there must be a better word hiding somewhere.

I had to look up bromance. that sounds a little too close for my liking....