Look, The New Buzzword

[grumpy01]

Don’t know if it’s my imagination or I hadn’t noticed before but now a lot of political interviewees seem to start their reply with the word Look.It’s almost as if they are treating the interviewer with contempt.

[Bazile]

Does Robert Peston still take ages to say a sentence ?

[ToraToraTora]

steady, with all these "Look"s and "so"s you'll have AH chiming in!

[naomi24]

Beginning a statement with the word 'Look' is done to emphasise sincerity. Its like saying 'Trust me', as some people do. I rarely take them up on it.

[barry1010]

grumpy, you used 'and the like' in your post when you had time to think about and compose your answer. You started a sentence with 'also'. Both are examples of very poor grammar. When a person is being interviewed under pressure, often without prior knowledge of the questions, the use of 'so' and 'look' at the start of the sentence gives a tiny thinking space.

[Spicerack]

It's fighting talk where I came from.

[Khandro]

When I was a boy (back in the bronze age) & in north Lancs, some people still used "sithee" (do you see) as in, 'Sithee yon church'.

[naomi24]

Barry, I don’t believe poor grammar on these pages should be picked up all the time. It's petty. Most people tend to write here as they speak - and that’s fine. ABers aren’t going for a Booker prize.

[Spicerack]

Most of us, Naomi. ;)

[barry1010]

I agree, Naomi, except in this instance the OP is criticising the way people speak. I am simply demonstrating that in natural speech and informal writing the use of Queen's English is rare.

I do not usually pick up on misspelt words, wrong words, typos, grammatical errors, as you say it is petty and demeaning.

[naomi24]

Barry, Ah, I see. Okay. :o)

Spicerack, //Most of us, Naomi. ;) //

Haaa! You have to hope some don't write as they speak! :o/

[barry1010]

A few years ago 'bless' used to raise my hackles. 'I've just got back from the shops' I said. 'Bless,' she replied.
Prior to that it was 'With all due respect'. 'With all due respect, you're a prat'.
Even earlier was the rising inflection. 'She spoke with a rising inflection?' I blamed the Australian soaps for that.

Well, the thing is, these things come and go, I, myself, personally think. Errrrm, it's sort of like a fad, you know. I was like thinking to myself, like, you was like, spot on.

I love the English language, the vocal tics, the dialects. If I wrote as I spoke most people wouldn't understand me but Shakespeare probably would :)

[Spicerack]

So, when in your cups from a glut of Dubonets
Thou still speaketh rot but doth say it in sonnets.

[allenlondon]

I once heard it described as 'the fascist "look"', which didn't seem too over the top.

Back in the day, the phrase was "Now just look here..." usually barked by a man with a nice suit and slicked-down hair.

A

[Spicerack]

A man with a nice suit? Disgusting. Fascist *** if I know.

[Chinajan]

It's a marginally less aggressive opener than, 'Listen!' isn't it?

[piggynose]

Mira( look)is a common way to start a conversation in Spain, usually in excited tones.

[douglas9401]

Aye, but they're a right shower. :-)

[shoota]

Look what they done to my song ma
Look what they done to my song
Well it's the only thing
That I could do half right
And it's turning out all wrong ma

[Tilly2]

Ah! Melanie. One of my favourites.

[Atheist]

The aptly named Melony!