So if you start everything you say with the word, "so", why do you do that?

[Anonymous]

So about 10 years ago, NOBODY started every sentence with the word, "so" unless it was followed by a comma and the use of the word was actually needed and meant something. Here's an example of what I'm talking about.
(before) Q: What's your dog's name? A: My dog's name is, Fido.
(today) Q: What's your dog's name? A: So my dog's name is, Fido.
There's No NEED for you to add the word, "so" to everything you say! (Yeah, I know I did it twice, already. I was making fun of the people that do that stupid shit!)
The first time I ever heard it was about 10 years ago when some girl from, the middle-east was being interviewed on t. v. because she'd been shot in the head and survived it. Other than starting every sentence with the word, "so", she spoke very good English. I gave her the benefit of the doubt because English is probably not her native language and, she'd been shot in the head and using "so" like that might've been a side effect! Next thing I know, EVERYBODY'S doing it!! WHY? Other than making you sound really stupid, what does it do for you?
The ones that start most sentences with, "I mean" are no better. "I mean" should only be used at the start of a sentence if you've just tried to explain something to someone and you just want to make it a little clearer as to what you were just trying to say. Example:
(before) (statement) I really like your new car! (response) It's a really nice car!
(today) (statement) I really like your new car! (response) I mean, it's a really nice car!
There's no point in adding that to everything you say!

[HighlyVolatile]

I think it's because I've adopted a free-writing and stream-of-consciousness style to writing quick and brief messages online (such as this one). I don't include that type of padding in my formal writing, yet when it comes to texting and rapid online communication, I tend to write somewhat similar to the way I speak very casually. It's a speed sort of thing in my case.

[HighlyVolatile]

Typically for sites that offer editing options such as StackExchange, I do end up cleaning things up after and often removing such padding in favor of making my answer as concise as I can make it. On a site like this absent such editing features, I tend to just type as I think.

[HighlyVolatile]

If it's just speech, I use fillers as a way to help me express my thoughts more quickly. There's a rhythm sometimes to the "and so", "therefore", even if they're superfluous in hindsight. Part of it is because I have a danger of going deep into loosely related thoughts. When I realize I'm doing it, I sort of try to steer the metaphorical vehicle back on track by saying something like, "And so [...]"

[HighlyVolatile]

I'm more musical than verbal in nature (verbal intelligence might be my absolute worst), so I like a rhythm to speech and shifting tones and emphasis. I have a little sister who's an English and I remember she made a huge deal out of a Chris Rock joke where he said, "For white people, the sky is the limit. For black people, the limit is the sky!" She thought the joke made no sense and all and was basically stating the exact same thing in both cases.

Yet I see it as a shifting in emphasis and tone. The white people version seems to emphasize "sky" while the black people version seems to emphasize "limit".

[HighlyVolatile]

* I have a little sister who's an English [teacher] [...]

[Asker]

All you have to do at this site is proofread before you hit the submit button.

[HighlyVolatile]

I do a quick proof but I prefer to be able to work from drafts I can come back to and tweak over time. It tends to help me to come at it a little bit fresh between at least short breaks; my eyes tend to pick up new ways to improve what I wrote.

[Asker]

"And so..." especially when you're finishing up a statement or point is fine. What I'm on about is just starting everything with "so". So I'm going to the store. So do you want anything at the store. So it's a nice day! So the Sun is shining!

[HighlyVolatile]

I see! I don't think I have that habit so much but I do have my share of padding and fillers which are a bit superfluous. I'm a little bit of a messy thinker and it tends to be a little bit of a rough ride when I attempt to speak. I often envy those extremely concise thinkers and speakers like Sam Harris. I might have more in common with someone like a Jordan Peterson.

[Asker]

I don't see how the emphasis changes anything. Both statements are making the same point.

[HighlyVolatile]

It might be a bias I have in interpretation and listening and possibly influenced by English being my second language. I tend to interpret the earlier words in a sentence as generally having more emphasis in many contexts than the latter. It might depend on the tone of voice as well, "The SKY is the limit!" vs. "The LIMIT is the sky!"

[HighlyVolatile]

Some of my thoughts might relate to musical background and rhythm which I find at least slightly more intuitive to me than verbal. I often find music filled with loads of padding. An example off the top of my head is Adele's Hello where she sings, "So he-llo from the-other siiiiiddeee!" It's maybe a limitation in verbal ability but it fits the rhythm of the music.

[Asker]

I think I know what you mean. Mom always said it's because I think faster than I can speak so, I'm saying one thing and my head is thinking something several sentences ahead and I start to throw those words into what I'm trying to say. Writing is the same way, if I'm writing with pen/cil. I can't write fast enough to catch up to my brain. So, because of that, my handwriting is really sloppy because of mistakes and because I'm trying to write so fast, which causes more mistakes.

[Asker]

Sorry, I don't see the difference. It's the same as saying, for white people, the limit is that WALL For black people, the LIMIT is that wall. In both cases, no matter what colour you are, you can't go past that wall.

[HighlyVolatile]

I'm similar that way. One of the difficulties I'm having these days that makes proofreading less useful is that my eyes aren't what they used to be. I seem to gloss over mistakes and awkward sentences a lot more trying to scan. My mind might also not be quite as sharp. I was much sharper both in the eyes and mind when I was younger.

[Asker]

Same here. I got glasses 2 years ago and, every time I wore them, they made my eyes worse! Now, I have to also use a magnifying glass half the time!!

[HighlyVolatile]

I think a good chunk of the humor might lie in the fact that the sentences mean the exact same thing from a literal perspective. It's perhaps the tonal shift combined with that aspect which made the joke very funny to me! :-D