So...
IS there a single BBC journalist or reporter actually capable of replying to a question without beginning the sentence with the word ‘so’? The sudden appearance of upspeak was bad enough, particularly when middle-aged and elderly people began using it later in life and for no apparent reason, but this latest verbal trend is equally irritating and alien. At least to my ears. Here is an example.
Speaker 1: “Do you like porridge?”
Speaker 2: “So, I've been buying porridge for several years now and like it very much.”
As far as upspeak is concerned, I concluded some time ago that by making a statement sound like a question, people appear to be lacking in self-confidence and almost checking that a statement is acceptable and inoffensive before it is released into the world. And, let's face it, rising social pressure to avoid the wrath of the thought-police and subsequent trial-by-media has never been so great.
As far as this latest phenomenon is concerned, however, with the pre-emptive ‘so,’ it is as though people feel an irrational need to suddenly compose their thoughts and answer-on-demand. I accept that most people tend to imitate the language and sounds that they pick up from others, particularly those who are most impressionable or sociable, and these things do eventually take on a life of their own, but no doubt the roots of this tendency do have something to do with our increasingly Stalinist society.
Yes. But this timid tentativeness is also arrogant, accompanied by the low pitch drawn out creaky voice, suggesting a kind of bored indolence and intent to make the listener wait while you imitate an aristo who doesn't give a damn about how long his inferiors have to wait to hear what he says because they better listen or lose their tied cottage or whatever. Michael Caine gave an amusing account of aristo speech where the aristo did not have to speak quick and wave his hands to get attention - everybody had to pay attention. Whereas a Cockney was like a barrow, shouting his patter, waving his hands etc to get attention in competition with others. Doesnt covert he slow speech of rural people who speak slowly and respond slowly out of courtesy as well the attempt to speak carefully.
More, though the fascist state explains a lot, living in a society of strangers, most of whom have no living obligation to us, do not know us and our values, and probably at the least would not accept much of what we are really are, and at the worst, are worse than predators scamming us via adverts, false claims, hoaxes, con tricks, mugging us or even killing us if we stray into dangerous territory...