Dialog filler

[iowamcnabb]

I listen to the game theory podcast often and at least once a show Sam says “if I’m being totally honest”. It’s generally an unnecessary qualifier and it had me thinking about the evolution of our vocabulary and speaking style. We all know about “um” and “like”. Another one I see that often doesn’t fit is “I’m sorry but”. Have humans always favored these dialog fillers? I understand they are often used to place some sort of emotional emphasis on a thought. What did the old timey folks use in place of these words or phrases?

 

[ESP47]

At the end of the day...

 

[Padrino]

At the end of the day...

...it is what it is.

 

[pdxKingsFan]

My kid wrote "so" at the start of a dozen sentences in an essay. Drove me nuts. I went and redlined his essay and told him to expand on a few thoughts and then redlined again and the teacher accused him of having a parent write the paper for him so part of this is just modern times

I had a business english class and pretty much got destroyed for all my "paper filler" and overuse of commas my freshman year of college and I think that is where I get my serious writing style from - a few people I work with turn to me to strip their emotions and crap out of tense emails.

Funnily enough I am a lot more casual and flippant in online forums which is probably why I enjoy it here and other places.

 

[mrlaze]

My kid wrote "so" at the start of a dozen sentences in an essay. Drove me nuts. I went and redlined his essay and told him to expand on a few thoughts and then redlined again and the teacher accused him of having a parent write the paper for him so part of this is just modern times

I had a business english class and pretty much got destroyed for all my "paper filler" and overuse of commas my freshman year of college and I think that is where I get my serious writing style from - a few people I work with turn to me to strip their emotions and crap out of tense emails.

Funnily enough I am a lot more casual and flippant in online forums which is probably why I enjoy it here and other places.

It takes me 44 minutes to write an email just for that reason.

Also this forum is more heavily moderated than any form I have been on outside civfanatics.com. I wouldn't describe it a flippant thats for sure.

 

[pdxKingsFan]

It takes me 44 minutes to write an email just for that reason.

Also this forum is more heavily moderated than any form I have been on outside civfanatics.com. I wouldn't describe it a flippant thats for sure.

I reply here off the cuff and with emotion. I don't do that unless you get me really heated at work or at home.