So that's it then.

[L Austin France]

I really hoped that this attrocious use of 'so' to commence every sentence was just a fad but fear it's now ingrained in the English language.
I've just watched Admiral Sir Tony Radakin on BBC's Sunday Morning & don't think there was one sentence he didn't commence with 'So'.
I've no idea what he was trying to convey as I spent all of the interview listening for it & wondering why a guy in his position felt the need to use this word which contributed nothing.

[Blaze]

Don't worry LAF, it's just the same in France now with the increasing use of "Du coup" !

[niemeyjt]

It's simple - media interviews are time-limited - so the more meaningless padding words a respondent can insert the less time there is to say anything meaningful.

[Nomoss]

You may be right about "so", but also, "I mean" and "you know", together with "er" and "um" from people reading from a script, who should have run through it a couple of times before going live, are almost universal, and completely ruin the flow and sense of what is being said.

That is, unless they are speaking in some broad regional accent which is already incomprehensible to many, and should be subtitled.

I think it was easier in the "old days" for people to understand the fairly neutral BBC accent than for everyone nowadays to understand dozens of local accents.

[Hotrodder]

And "going forward"?
And what about "like"?

Someone will be along in a minute defending "evolution" of the language. Follow that idea and language will end up full circle with grunts and uggs.

[rabbit]

I despair at the current trend by people starting with “I’m not going to lie”
Am I supposed to be grateful?
Then there is “I’m thinking- in my head”
Where else would you be thinking- though I have a good idea

[Polarengineer]

So, basicaly, you know, it's liké, I mean, er, you can't stand it?

[exile]

For me less is definitely not more when it should be fewer.

[niemeyjt]

Not to mention the confusion between O "oh" and 0 "zero" - I remember my 80 yo Maths teacher ranting about that one lesson after listening to the news on the radio.

Also, "like" - especially by the youth of today. Listen to "The Listening Project" on R4 today for an example!

[MAD87]

All of the above +
laying instead of lying
growing an economy or a business
'parenting'
chair instead of chairman/woman

The list threatens to be very long