No, this is not about the Rudyard Kipling book: instead, what I believe to be the word usage trend of the 21st Century (so far) after the jump …
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I’m a bit slow on the uptake compared to many political junkies. I realized this because there have already been several essays written on a trend I’ve only noticed the past six months. And this relates to people being asked a question during an interview … yet instead of the first word of their response being
"OK", or
"Yes" or
"Ummm ..." or – as in the case of Ronald Reagan –
"Well ..." … today the first word is
"So". At times it sounds natural, other times jarring … let me summarize what has been written, and you can draw your own conclusion.
Nearly four years ago in a New York Times OpEd, Anand Giridharadas pointed out that "So" was no longer content to appear in the middle of sentences: as a conjunction (i.e., a synonym for "therefore"), adverb or intensifier.
Many other writers linked to this story, with one even content-analyzing an NPR Science Friday extended reply … with several appearing as a traditional conjunction: "If you were looking at the star, you’d see the shadow of the planet, so we don’t actually see that planet". Today’s trend – and about half of the uses of the word in that science Friday example – began a paragraph with "So" – and often with a pregnant pause that emphasizes the word.
Anand Giridharadas traced the etymology to computer programmers (in general), ones in Silicon Valley (in particular) and claimed by Microsoft employees (especially). He cites the book by Michael Lewis (of "Moneyball" and "Liar's Poker" fame) entitled The New New Thing in 1999 where programmers – used to writing code of "if this, then that" – extended that to normal conversation (especially if English wasn't their first language). Linguists suggest that accommodation takes place then, where the habits of successful people are adopted by others (whether consciously or not).
Is this a good thing? Essayist Denise Graveline thought it could be ("used correctly", of course). She felt that it could suggest authority (coming from an expert), or it could suggest empathy towards the needs of your listener ("So it might be helpful to know that .."). She also acknowledges it can be akin to an "ummm" … a pause to think, which is normal – but if used excessively, can be annoying.
Anand Giridharadas went on to contrast "Well" and "So" this way:
"Well" vacillates, "So" claims, is more certain.
"Well" suggests "I am still considering this", "So" indicates a decision.
"Well" is open-ended, "So" is impatient (and will save time).
"Well" is about the speaker, "So" is directed towards the listener.
Ben Yagoda – who credits those at Microsoft (if they truly invented it) for their cleverness, yet is tired of the usage –
offers-up their contrasts on four different types of opening words:
Uh or Um - "I didn’t really expect your question and am not sure how to answer it, so give me a minute".
Well - "I didn’t expect the question, but I’ve got an answer and here it comes".
Oh - "You have presented me some new information; I have absorbed it."
So - "I understand the question and how it displays your incomplete knowledge of the subject" … and then tells what you need to know.
One essayist in the British publication
The Spectator understands if it is used to allow more time to gather one’s thoughts (although considering it ungrammatical) - but otherwise is not only annoyed by the practice: he suspects that it has a more nefarious use, which he thinks is growing.
That would be to use "So" as a way to deflect tough questions, not necessarily to answer the question asked, but instead to say what the speaker wants to. (See Talk Shows, Sunday Morning). If it continues to grow, the silver lining he argues would be this:
As the technique grows in popularity, we will come to recognize it more easily. It will take on the status of Harrison Ford’s tests in Blade Runner, used to tell androids from humans. Hear someone start an answer with ‘So’, and you’ll know you’re about to be spoon-fed some pre-cooked PR-speak. A more sophisticated version of the old joke about knowing a politician is lying because his lips are moving.
Myself? Within reason, I think this is OK. I am a
"Well" type myself, and as long as this is neither overdone, nor used as a spin doctor-tactic there is probably no harm. But, have at-it with your observations in the comments. It will be interesting to note how many of you will begin with … umm ….well … you-know-what.
Let’s close with a more traditional use of "So" as an intensifier:
Written by Roger McGuinn and Chris Hillman of The Byrds in 1966, So You Want To Be A Rock 'N' Roll Star was their take on the pop music business of the day (in general) and studio-created bands (such as The Monkees) in particular. With a trumpet solo by the South African musician Hugh Masakela the short song matches its sardonic lyrics with some of Roger McGuinn's twangy guitar licks. The song has had a notable variety of cover versions: some of the most famous ones include Tom Petty, Patti Smith, Black Oak Arkansas, Bon Jovi as well as Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam.
And below you can listen to it.
So you want to be a rock 'n' roll star?
Then listen now to what I say
Just get an electric guitar
Then take some time and learn how to play
And with your hair swung right
And your pants too tight
It's gonna be all right
Then it's time to go downtown
Where the agent man won't let you down
Sell your soul to the company
Who are waiting there to sell plastic ware
And in a week or two,
If you make the charts
The girls'll tear you apart
The price you paid
for your riches and fame,
Was it all a strange game?
You're a little insane
The money, the fame
and the public acclaim,
Don't forget who you are,
You're a rock and roll star!
Now, on to Top Comments:
-------------------------------------
From FlamingoGrrl:
In the Top Comments diary by Puddytat about the right-wing outrage over the revival of the PBS show Cosmos - lotac's response to paranoia over Cosmos is pitch-perfect!
From
Dave in Northridge:
In the front-page story about the meeting of President Obama and Pope Francis ... Doroma kicks off a nice little thread, skillet asks a question, and Its the Supreme Court Stupid first and then terremoto provide increasingly good answers.
And from
Ed Tracey, your faithful correspondent this evening ........
In the diary by Lefty Coaster about the latest spin on his cancelled 4th of July concert by Ted Nugent - alert reader JR unearths a 1990 interview that The Nuge gave to a Detroit newspaper ... ai-yi-yi-yi-yi ....
In today's Election Digest .... under an opening gambit by KingofSpades entitled Colorado Madness .... a GOP candidate for the state house is dropping out because - as Skaje notes - he used the same email address to file his candidacy as he used to post on Stormfront.
Finally, in the diary by chaunceydevega about how the GOP is becoming an even whiter party - uniqity offers a sobering reminder of how we tend to mis-characterize the public's mood that actually existed during the civil rights era.
TOP PHOTOS
March 27, 2013
Next - enjoy jotter's wonderful PictureQuilt™ below. Just click on the picture and it will magically take you to the comment that features that photo.
(NOTE: Any missing images in the Quilt were removed because (a) they were from an unapproved source that somehow snuck through in the comments, or (b) it was an image from the DailyKos Image Library which didn't have permissions set to allow others to use it.)
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And lastly: yesterday's Top Mojo - mega-mojo to the intrepid mik ...... who rescued this feature from oblivion:
1) This is precisely what we can look forward by Its the Supreme Court Stupid — 305
2) You Sir by T Maysle — 187
3) Thank you for taking this on by ontheleftcoast — 187
4) During that press conference, by Radiowalla — 182
5) I think it would by Vita Brevis — 182
6) You can narrowly define the Hobby Lobby case by ontheleftcoast — 174
7) Jesus being used as a tea party prop by crystal eyes — 150
8) The cost of medical care in the US is obscene. by Persiflage — 143
9) Religious exceptionalism by ontheleftcoast — 142
10) This terrifies me! by rat racer — 135
11) Gee, wouldn't it be nice... by JeffW — 133
12) Thank you so much for seeing it so clearly! by Timaeus — 124
13) Thank you for posting this! /nt by jan4insight — 114
14) I grew up in a union household by jbou — 109
15) Exactly right. Thanks. by Timaeus — 108
16) Just the begining to where it could go by LaFeminista — 104
17) Good post. by TomP — 101
18) We've lost so much by Armando — 95
19) Thanks for being willing by foresterbob — 87
20) DKos is only progressive by gjohnsit — 86
21) And it's a way to quietly dig at US "reporters"-- by zenbassoon — 85
22) Incredibly shocking by gchaucer2 — 83
23) it is a slippery road by jfromga — 81
24) And yet, here in Virginia, by SBParrothead — 80
25) Here in VA, texting while driving is illegal. With by Champurrado — 80
26) Lovely thoughtful and historically by the dogs sockpuppet — 76
27) Wow. So ridiculous it is hard to comprehend. by UntyingTheNot — 76
28) Now they are bawling that the President describe by NedSparks — 75
29) Would you say that Sotomayor by Fishtroller01 — 74
30) Congratulations and thanks for taking a stand. by nancyjones — 73
31) For what it's worth, you have my admiration! n/t by terremoto — 73