is it just me noticing this or is it getting worse?
Beginning a sentence with "So".
I get the NASA TV channel through my Roku device and have noticed the seemingly rampant occurrence of that.
Today I'm listening to some financial advice show on the radio and this guy is doing it constantly as well.
When I first started noticing it I thought it might be something in the NASA culture. Now I'm noticing it everywhere.
NASA people have other ways of speaking I find really annoying as well. Leaving out the word "the" for example - especially when referring to THE ISS. The word "move" seems to have been replaced with "transition". Listen to radio traffic during an EVA and you'll hear it constantly.
E
The local news station has developed an annoying habit of using "NOW," to begin sentences.
vern, post: 353589, member: 3436 wrote: The local news station has developed an annoying habit of using "NOW," to begin sentences.
The TV news does that too.
language changes, some people find that difficult.
I communicate with many native English speakers that were Not born in the US. Word usage, vocabulary, Capitalization, and Punctuation is much different.
English has more "rules" than words. It is a very young language that is still under rapid development...
Flow with it, learn to communicate, and drop the anal stuff.
So it goes.
vern, post: 353589, member: 3436 wrote: The local news station has developed an annoying habit of using "NOW," to begin sentences.
I just happen to be in Wisconsin (-6å¡) right now taking care of some family business. Around here, all sentences start and end with "eh". Instead of our Okie colloquium of "you all or y'all"...they have the plural "yous" up here too.
I enjoy talking and typing dumb. It is fun to push people's buttons. Gotta have a hobby, right?
I was at a local family run Mexican Restaurant a few months ago. The 18 year old +/- daughter that speaks perfect english was telling her 50+ year old Mother that still struggles with English about something that happened at school. I don't speak spanish but if someone is speaking spanish with an english accent, I can often follow enough to almost grasp the conversation.
What was really funny, the daughter was speaking spanish to her mother and whatever it was that happened must have been good because as the conversation went on, she got more and more excited. But almost every sentence started with "I mean ...." in english.
It's hard to eat tacos and giggle at the same time.
James
BigE, post: 353586, member: 435 wrote: is it just me noticing this or is it getting worse?
Beginning a sentence with "So".
I get the NASA TV channel through my Roku device and have noticed the seemingly rampant occurrence of that.
Today I'm listening to some financial advice show on the radio and this guy is doing it constantly as well.
When I first started noticing it I thought it might be something in the NASA culture. Now I'm noticing it everywhere.NASA people have other ways of speaking I find really annoying as well. Leaving out the word "the" for example - especially when referring to THE ISS. The word "move" seems to have been replaced with "transition". Listen to radio traffic during an EVA and you'll hear it constantly.
E
mis-use ... now that is funny Eric, sorry I missed it the first time that I read it.
JaRo, post: 353610, member: 292 wrote: I was at a local family run Mexican Restaurant a few months ago. The 18 year old +/- daughter that speaks perfect english was telling her 50+ year old Mother that still struggles with English about something that happened at school. I don't speak spanish but if someone is speaking spanish with an english accent, I can often follow enough to almost grasp the conversation.
What was really funny, the daughter was speaking spanish to her mother and whatever it was that happened must have been good because as the conversation went on, she got more and more excited. But almost every sentence started with "I mean ...." in english.
It's hard to eat tacos and giggle at the same time.
James
I know quite a number of people that have EXCELLENT written English... but speaking it is another thing. Phonetics in English are near impossible to learn from a book or an occasional conversation. On the other hand Spanish phonetics are simple... if you can say it you can write it, or speak it. Maybe S and Z get swapped, or a couple others, but it is functional.
===
Vernacular is a curious thing, as is the English Language itself. Having just recently surpassed over a million words(!), what's particularly ironic is that English often employs multiple words that describe the exact same thing...and as if that wasn't inconsistent enough, the irony gets even thicker when we consider that a single English word can have multiple potential meanings! I mean, wow..with over a million words to choose from, why would we EVER need to have multiple meanings in one word?
It's no wonder it's such a challenge to learn it as a second language, as it basically makes no sense at all. Other modern languages like French and Italian get by just fine with less than half as many words overall. I'll exclude German, as it's not so much a language as it is a hair-splitting contest.
English defies logic, but then so does much of the human condition, so I guess it should come as no surprise that it's been so widely adopted....one could even say that much of the planet has been "swayed" to it wink emoticon
........
source forgotten
JaRo, post: 353610, member: 292 wrote: I was at a local family run Mexican Restaurant a few months ago. The 18 year old +/- daughter that speaks perfect english was telling her 50+ year old Mother that still struggles with English about something that happened at school. I don't speak spanish but if someone is speaking spanish with an english accent, I can often follow enough to almost grasp the conversation.
What was really funny, the daughter was speaking spanish to her mother and whatever it was that happened must have been good because as the conversation went on, she got more and more excited. But almost every sentence started with "I mean ...." in english.
It's hard to eat tacos and giggle at the same time.
James
South and Central Americans and Mexicans seem to assimilate to the English language fairly quickly....as long as they are under 21. It seems the younger they are, the quicker a second language is to grasp. You're right, abuelo y abuela probably never will catch on to our butchered English.
My Mother's family is from Hidalgo County, Tx., very close to the border. In the fifties and sixties there was barely a sign or store that had any Spanish writing, since the "Anglos" ran everything. Nowadays you're hard pressed to find any English signs.
But I have noticed a "third" language entirely that has emerged from La Frontera...I've heard it called "border lingo" and I've heard it called "Spanglish". Whatever it is, you have to understand that the WRITTEN word is (and has been since it was invented) a way to record the spoken language....which by the way...came FIRST. The written word is merely a poor substitute for the spoken. With the verbal expression, there is no misspelled words....;-)
BigE, post: 353586, member: 435 wrote: is it just me noticing this or is it getting worse?
Beginning a sentence with "So".
I agree, there is an over-use of the term so. It's proper use is to distance yourself from a question, or statement, with an answer that requires a clarification, redefinitiion, or a more complete understanding of a subject (the question was uninformed or ill-phrased). The over-use is in poor form. Using it once or twice in a long conversation or interview is acceptable, beginning every statement with so really puts into question the level of discourse.
Most intelligent interviews I've heard don't rely on this distraction, the natural form is to incorporate the pertinent part of the question into your reply, and expound on it.
This follows a form of schoolwork where you were required to rewrite the homework question verbatim along with your answer. The results speak for themselves.
People who hang onto the "s" when answering you with "yes" unnerve me. Strange as hell.
So, I've watched a several bbc sitcoms, and enjoy the English way of saying a lot of things. You have to get used to it. We say "the hospital" they leave of the "the" as in I need to go to hospital. Same with University. In some shows I hear a lot of in'nit for (I think) "isn't it". Except they use it a lot of times where you wouldn't even say in "isn't it" such as it's too late in'nit? but also "you were late, in'nit" where you would never say "isn't . (and on and on). Ever hear them say aluminium?
I guess I kind of enjoy the local colloquialisms, more than I am irritated by them. (unless you use "then" instead of "than" or irregardless, or alot instead of a lot, or....oops...I guess I have my pet peeves too.)
Tom Adams, post: 353623, member: 7285 wrote: We say "the hospital" they leave of the "the" as in I need to go to hospital. Same with University.
It's interesting that the opposite holds true for highways, at least for much of the US. I drive on Interstate 80. They drive on The M2. Any one around here would laugh if I said I drove on The Interstate 80.
What kind of hack begins a sentence with "so"?
"So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."
So, well, then, now, but, and.....................and others are commonly used to begin sentences. There is absolutely nothing wrong with doing so. What is being communicated in that first word is a link to an earlier sentence of particular importance.
Bill93, post: 353626, member: 87 wrote: It's interesting that the opposite holds true for highways, at least for much of the US. I drive on Interstate 80. They drive on The M2. Any one around here would laugh if I said I drove on The Interstate 80.
In Southern California we drive on "the 405", "the 110", "the 210" and all the others.
Peter Ehlert, post: 353616, member: 60 wrote: I know quite a number of people that have EXCELLENT written English... but speaking it is another thing. Phonetics in English are near impossible to learn from a book or an occasional conversation. On the other hand Spanish phonetics are simple... if you can say it you can write it, or speak it. Maybe S and Z get swapped, or a couple others, but it is functional.
===
Vernacular is a curious thing, as is the English Language itself. Having just recently surpassed over a million words(!), what's particularly ironic is that English often employs multiple words that describe the exact same thing...and as if that wasn't inconsistent enough, the irony gets even thicker when we consider that a single English word can have multiple potential meanings! I mean, wow..with over a million words to choose from, why would we EVER need to have multiple meanings in one word?
It's no wonder it's such a challenge to learn it as a second language, as it basically makes no sense at all. Other modern languages like French and Italian get by just fine with less than half as many words overall. I'll exclude German, as it's not so much a language as it is a hair-splitting contest.
English defies logic, but then so does much of the human condition, so I guess it should come as no surprise that it's been so widely adopted....one could even say that much of the planet has been "swayed" to it wink emoticon
........
source forgotten
For the most part, I would certainly agree that Spanish is much more phonic (and why don't we just use an F at the beginning of phonic??) based. But.... as an example, the word "calle", aren't the double L's pronounced as a Y?
John, post: 353636, member: 791 wrote: For the most part, I would certainly agree that Spanish is much more phonic (and why don't we just use an F at the beginning of phonic??) based. But.... as an example, the word "calle", aren't the double L's pronounced as a Y?
My surname is conundrum for Spanish speakers since the H is silent and the LL is pronounced with Y sound and I as E.
I have worked in Spanish speaking countries where someone looked at my name written and become speechless.
I would usually reply with Colina to simplify life.
