To The Daily Telegraph

“A grammatical plague that has serious implications for political discourse in the media is the use of the conjunction “so” at the beginning of an answer to an interviewer’s straight question. This usage is illogical, as it implies the interviewee is continuing a chain of argument from a previously stated position (the equivalent of “therefore”).

Secondly, it avoids a direct answer to the interviewer’s question. (We can’t have politicians doing that!)

Thirdly, it allows the answer to be presented as an established conclusion that there is no call to justify”.   (Chris Emlyn-Jones, emeritus professor of classical studies at the Open University, Oxford)

These verbal ticks come and go.  The use of “like”, for instance, is valley-girl-speak, which has regrettably found its way into the speech of  reasonably educated people.  This morning the deputy manager of a political campaign sent an email asking me to contribute “because, like, it matters”.  Usually “like” is used out of laziness – starting a sentence without knowing what you are going to say, and buying time with blather.  I zapped the email.

Were he alive today Epicurus, a wise and thoughtful philosopher, might counsel us to keep very quiet until we have worked out what we think and what we wish to say.  He might add that attention seeking is sometimes at the root of all this, and attention seeking isn’t very pleasant for others to deal with. On the other hand Epicurus might tell us to relax and tune out. Whatever.