[Ads-l] sentence-final "so"

[Jonathan Lighter]

Fascinating.

But does it have such wide application?

The exx. suggest that, in Ireland, it abbreviates an idiomatic clause ("So
it is," "So I will.")

In my experience in the U.S., what might follow is usually entirely vague:
"I'm going down to the store, so."  "So you should tell me if you need
anything"? "So I'll be gone for a while?" "So I can't do anything else
right now"?

JL

On Wed, May 12, 2021 at 9:23 AM Michael Everson <everson at evertype.com>
wrote:

> Ubiquitous in Ireland. “It’s a grand day, so (it is.)” “I’ll leave you to
> it, so (I will).”
>
> Michael Everson
> http://evertype.com
>
> > On 12 May 2021, at 14:08, Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>
> wrote:
> >
> > I've been noticing this for possibly five years, but it could be more or
> > less.
> >
> > Quora.com:
> >
> > Q: Which is worse, homophobia or cacophobia?
> >
> > A: I mean, more people are homophobic than cacophobic so.
> >
> > I'd have put in a comma before "so," because there's usually a pause.
> >
> > It seems to have developed from a feeling that more should be said, but
> the
> > speaker doesn't know what.
> >
> > My feeling is that it was preceded by the (still existing), "so -- you
> > know."
> >
> > JL
> > --
> > "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the
> truth."
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>


-- 
"If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org