The point about 'normcore' is not that it is what 'normal' people wear, but that it is an active aesthetic choice to wear clothes that are anti-fashion. You are not normcore if you are already, er, normal. Normal clothing is normal, that's all. 'Normcore' fashion was an attempt to subvert the fashion industry but has now become hipster mainstream (an oxymoron, but I think you know what I mean). Now that people are (mis)using the term in a wider context, it has lost it's original meaning.

And that's what makes it paticularly funny, and particularly hideous. It's a peculiarly post-modern meme - a word that has already 'eaten itself'.

Indeed. But, thankfully, that should mean that it dies out pretty quickly.

Thanks. So I'll know what this means before it disappears!

'Absolutely!' seems to have fallen out of fashion as what one says to indicate agreement with one's interlocutor. One now says 'Very much so!'

Absolutely.

I was pleased to hear the use of 'So' as the start to a statement coming under attack on R4 again this evening.

So, what is so bad about that? Usage is the same as alors in French...

See pages 13 and 14. When I first became aware of its rise in popularity a couple of years ago I thought I was alone in finding it annoying.

'So' has its place.

It's perfectly fair to ask, "So what's wrong with 'so'?"

But not to say, "So the problem with 'so' is that it is really annoying."

In the first instance 'so' refers to a resulting consequence - in other words, "Given what you say, why does 'so' have the consequence of being annoying?"

In the second instance, it has no meaning at all and is just a verbal tick.

It's annoying the hell out of me right now because I'm currently reading dozens of pages of transcripts with the word 'So' at the beginning of almost every sentence.

Of course, you could say, "'So' is used at the beginning of a sentence as just a verbal tick and so 'so' is really annoying" - but you'd probably call me a little so-and-so.

This post was last modified: 24-01-2015 09:22 AM by Mr_Numbers.

I learn from Wikipaedia that 'so' is what linguisticians call a 'discourse marker', that is, a word or phrase that is relatively syntax-independent and does not change the truth conditional meaning of the sentence. Other examples are 'oh', 'well', 'now', 'then', 'you know', 'I mean', 'frankly', and 'as a matter of fact.' It has been suggested that a discourse marker shows the connection between what is being said and the wider context. It either connects a sentence to what comes before or after, or indicates a speaker's attitude to what he is saying.

Here are some more examples of what seem to me to be quite appropriate uses of 'so' at the beginning of a sentence:

'So [it follows from what I’ve just demonstrated] the butler did it’ .

‘So [now we’ve both got our drinks] tell me about yourself.’

‘So [having got that out of the way] let’s move on.’

‘So [to change the subject to something more interesting] who’s that very attractive young woman?’

‘So [given that you were only just now being so nice to me] why are you threatening me with that meat cleaver?’

‘So [as you’re such a keen student of the turf] what’s going to win the Derby?’

‘So [let’s get to the point] when did you last see your father?’

‘So [to set the scene for this story which I’ve decided to tell you], this bloke walks into a pub....’

‘So [are you trying to tell me that] is this all there is?’

Nice work, there, Robin Orton!

Yes its when interviewees use it as a pause in which to think or as an attempt to lend weight to their viewpoint it really grates. It has been suggested I should listen less to R4 and thus lessen my exposure to it.....

Like, we all sometimes need time to think.

Yes and so is surely preferable to like.

Well, you know, it's like different, anyhoo, you get me?

Literally so.

Surely nobody starts a sentance with 'like'? I far prefer 'It seems to me' or 'In my opinion' as a space to think in but maybe I am just too old fashioned?

Why not 'in my humble opinion' or 'with the very greatest respect' or 'if I may be permitted to intervene' ? Even more old-fashioned, and longer, so they give you even more time think.

'Time to think', I should have said.