| Welcome Guest | Forum Search | Active Topics | Members | Log In | Register | |
|
|
Rank: Member
Joined: 5/21/2011
Posts: 82
Points: 246
Location: Turkey
|
We normally see a sentence like:
"He sings so well that everyone admires him."
But several days ago, I saw a sentence like:
"He so sings that everyone admires him."
It was the first time I'd seen such a formation. Of course, it does make sense and therefore well-understood, but I want to learn how "grammmatical" and "wide-spread" it is.
I just need the answers; no need to get confused! Unless it is very necessary, let's not talk about other issues!
|
|
Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 8/11/2011
Posts: 2,118
Points: 6,361
Location: United States, FL
|
ahmetwrt wrote:
"He so sings that everyone admires him."
It was the first time I'd seen such a formation. Of course, it does make sense and therefore well-understood, but I want to learn how "grammmatical" and "wide-spread" it is.
It is not widespread at all. I have only heard constructions like this in slang, and the meaning is very different from what you might think. It would be used with emphasis on the word "so", as in "He so sings that everyone admires him," with the sense that the only reason he sings is to receive compliments. This is from an AE perspective; I'm quite sure others will hear this differently.
"Sometimes I sits and thinks, and sometimes I just sits." - Satchel Paige
|
|
Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 9/21/2009
Posts: 19,958
Points: 59,883
Location: Helsinki, Finland
|
Sounds like a poet from 17th century.
I don't know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.
|
|
Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 9/2/2011
Posts: 541
Points: 1,581
Location: Bangalore
|
I am with leonAzul on this. He so sings.. means that he sings to the gallery in a way that elicits praise from the audience. In absolute sense, it does not mean that he sings well.
Cheers!
A man can fail several times, but he is not a failure until he begins to blame somebody else.
|
|
Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 9/12/2011
Posts: 2,201
Points: 6,631
Location: Scotland (via Earth, Sol system)
|
I did not know the meaning leonAzul gives to this - it seems it has not penetrated British culture yet (at least my bit of it).
To me it sounds like a poetic or archaic construction. ('So' meaning 'in such a way')
Though lovers be lost, love shall not, and Death shall have no dominion. - Dylan Thomas
|
|
Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 6/14/2009
Posts: 2,446
Points: 7,192
Location: China
|
The usage Leon is talking about seems to have spread out of the USA over the past years but even using it this way - "She SO isn't going to go" (She is absolutely determined not to go, OR she's deliberately made other plans)wouldn't quite fit in here, would it? The "that" wouldn't work.
When used this way the 'SO' is always emphasised: it's a slang use, and I couldn't see people using "that" which would be really formal.One would tend rather to say "He SO sings just so other people can admire him."...but then the word 'admire' becomes problematic: - simply can't imagine people who use this phrase using the word "admire." The whole sentence would be expressed differently viz: - "He SO sings just to show off."
I simply tend to think that the usage as the OP heard/saw it was just incorrect.
|
|
Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 8/11/2011
Posts: 2,118
Points: 6,361
Location: United States, FL
|
Romany wrote:The usage Leon is talking about seems to have spread out of the USA over the past years but even using it this way - "She SO isn't going to go" (She is absolutely determined not to go, OR she's deliberately made other plans)wouldn't quite fit in here, would it? The "that" wouldn't work.
When used this way the 'SO' is always emphasised: it's a slang use, and I couldn't see people using "that" which would be really formal.One would tend rather to say "He SO sings just so other people can admire him."...but then the word 'admire' becomes problematic: - simply can't imagine people who use this phrase using the word "admire." The whole sentence would be expressed differently viz: - "He SO sings just to show off."
I simply tend to think that the usage as the OP heard/saw it was just incorrect. I agree. As Jyrkkä Jätkä and Drag0nspeaker note it has a certain archaic or dramatic sound to it, and I for one can definitely recall my school mates and me using archaic or historical phrases for satirical effect. For example there was an incident involving a skipped school day, a bottle of vodka, and some Girl Friends which we later referred to as "A Day of Infamy." There is no doubt in my mind that had it occurred today we would have called the unoccupied house "Ground Zero!" 
"Sometimes I sits and thinks, and sometimes I just sits." - Satchel Paige
|
|
|
Guest |