Are 'look' and 'listen' taking over from 'so'?

[Blackpuddin]

It was bad enough when anyone being interviewed on TV or radio prefaced every answer with 'so', but now it looks like they're switching to 'look' and 'listen' which are even more annoying. Why can't people just say what they need to say and leave it at that?
Sorry, terrible rant, 1/10.

[KobayashiMaru86]

Lots of sports people can't help saying "for sure". Happens a lot in F1 and you can't stop noticing it once you do

[Chicken_Satay]

Judging by the amount of pedestrians that blindly walk into oncoming traffic, I actually thought the opposite i.e. look and listen have gone out of fashion.

[Brummiebeau]

The phrase/saying that pisses me off is when they say ''Obviously''

''Well obviously we did this''
''And obviously this happened''

It just really fks me off

The ''PM'' in The Apprentice last night was really bad for it

[Soloman Dodd]

Like, literally yeah.

[rodericb]

Chicken_Satay said:

Judging by the amount of pedestrians that blindly walk into oncoming traffic, I actually thought the opposite i.e. look and listen have gone out of fashion.

Ha ha that's because they're telling others to look and/or listen. Rules for thee.....

[The Mad Monk]

On the snooker.

Shaun? (Sean?) Murphy who says 'listen'. Could someone tell him to stop saying it? Otherwise for a new pundit, he is not bad.

[GetCarter]

Blair started the 'Look' trend. Drove me nuts.

This week it's Sue Gray. They can't open their mouth without naming her. Like we don't know why!

[Spare tyre]

Let me be clear
Let me be absolutely clear
The fact of the matter
Regrettably

[anonymous-user]

Evolution of language.

Language isn’t fixed and static it’s a constantly changing thing.

Go with it and enjoy seeing how it changes or sit on the shores complaining.

[the cueball]

KobayashiMaru86 said:

Lots of sports people can't help saying "for sure". Happens a lot in F1 and you can't stop noticing it once you do

I don't want to claim that started with Rossi and learning the English language but he's been saying it/using it for over 20 years in interviews.. but for sure it seems to be a lot of non English stars that it started with.

Maybe I just noticed it more from him as I don't follow football / F1 that closely..

Edited by the cueball on Friday 14th January 11:57

Edited by the cueball on Friday 14th January 11:58

[glenrobbo]

"Look" and "listen" are nowhere near as annoying as those females who adopt that 'vocal fry' affectation:


https://youtu.be/UsE5mysfZsY

[jeff m]

glenrobbo said:

"Look" and "listen" are nowhere near as annoying as those females who adopt that 'vocal fry' affectation:


https://youtu.be/UsE5mysfZsY

I didn't know it was' an intentional thing, I always thought it was BJ related

[jimmytheone]

I thought it was the Aussies who started it? Maybe just when i first noticed it.

Every interview with an aussie cricketer for example "Listen...."
Yes we are, we're literally waiting to hear what you've got to say, we don't need a prompt FFS

[Gixer968CS]

Look is definitely imported from Oz (as opposed to the US for a change). They've been prefixing every response to a questions with "look" for years and years. Don't know about "listen" but both sound very patronising

[Lotusgone]

Look and listen preceded so, and are equally irritating.

"Well", I can put up with, though I don't know why.

Oddly though, "y'know" seems to be used less. Possibly substituted with "like".

[GliderRider]

"You know". In that case why are you telling me?

[Taff107]

Politicians with their "You're right to say.............(blah blah blah)"

Obviously used to delay and allow 'thinking room' whilst placating the interviewer, Annoys the hell out of me

[Scabutz]

Brummiebeau said:

The phrase/saying that pisses me off is when they say ''Obviously''

''Well obviously we did this''
''And obviously this happened''

It just really fks me off

The ''PM'' in The Apprentice last night was really bad for it

Totally with you on that. Was watching The Chase the other night and one contestant, "and obviously I have a kid". Nope absolutely nothing about you suggested you had a kid so not obvious in anyway shape or form

[rodericb]

jimmytheone said:

I thought it was the Aussies who started it? Maybe just when i first noticed it.

Every interview with an aussie cricketer for example "Listen...."
Yes we are, we're literally waiting to hear what you've got to say, we don't need a prompt FFS

Ha ha I thought it was an Australian thing and I was slightly surprised to read that it's in England (i'm Australian and in Australia). I think it's the authoritarian twinge that a few people (Australians in Australia) had decades ago but which is certainly far more prevalent now. I think it might be going 2.0 in Australia and is a signal that whoever is prefacing their communications with "look" or "listen" is tagged as a wker to those who aren't part of the New Authoritarianism.