English Language - what "Does your head in" ??

[Audax67]

My current Fowler says that "folk" as an ordinary word for people in general is tending to fall out of use in British English, except in northern England and Scotland, where it is standard. If that was so in 2015 when that was published, it no longer seems the case. I seem to see more of it than ever.

I was about to mention "folk" as a synonym for "people" and it occurred to me I might have mentioned it before - and I have. And it continues to irritate me

Folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk, folk.

Oh. Sorry about that.

[mattheus]

You should of posted this earlier.

Speaking of things that do my head in ...

Do you have a pacific grievance you'd like to share?

[Jdsk]

My current Fowler says that "folk" as an ordinary word for people in general is tending to fall out of use in British English, except in northern England and Scotland, where it is standard. If that was so in 2015 when that was published, it no longer seems the case. I seem to see more of it than ever.

I was about to mention "folk" as a synonym for "people" and it occurred to me I might have mentioned it before - and I have. And it continues to irritate me

Why does it irritate you, please?

Thanks

Jonathan

[richardfm]

So, what really irritates me is people who start sentences with "so".

[Jdsk]

So, what really irritates me is people who start sentences with "so".

Does that comma make it better or worse?

: - )

Jonathan

PS: Usual question...

[richardfm]

So, what really irritates me is people who start sentences with "so".

Does that comma make it better or worse?

: - )

Jonathan

PS: Usual question...

The comma makes it slightly better. It irritates me because it is superfluous.

[Jdsk]

Thanks

Jonathan

[thirdcrank]

... Why does it irritate you, please?

I'm not at all sure. Like most of these things it's probably illogical. When we came to live in LS27 in 1975we had two local rags, the Morley Ob(server) and the Morley Advertiser. They were both part of separate chains but each had their own separate editorial office in the middle of Morley. Anything being reported as local talked about "Morley folk." It may be relevant that Morley - previously separate from Leeds and proudly independent of it - had been subsumed into that city in 1974.

Fast forward to launch of this forum and posters write "folk" as a synonym for "people" and it sounds silly to me.

[Jdsk]

Thanks

Is there a regional variation in the use of folk for people? I'll have a look.

Jonathan

[thirdcrank]

Thanks

Is there a regional variation in the use of folk for people? I'll have a look.

Jonathan

Somewhere above I've mentioned that Butterfield says this usage is is dwindling (?) except in Northern England and Scotland. Based on my view of usage on this forum, he's no idea

[Bmblbzzz]

You should of posted this earlier.

Speaking of things that do my head in ...

Do you have a pacific grievance you'd like to share?

[mattheus]

So, what really irritates me is people who start sentences with "so".

It seems this usage WAS common in 2015. Hopefully it has receded in the subsequent 8 years:

Obviously

So

[DaveReading]

You should of posted this earlier.

Speaking of things that do my head in ...

Do you have a pacific grievance you'd like to share?

Sorry, I should of known better - I'm all at sea these days.

[mattheus]

Speaking of things that do my head in ...

Do you have a pacific grievance you'd like to share?

Sorry, I should of known better - I'm all at sea these days.

The good news is that these things come in waves.

[thirdcrank]

I've just noticed another of my niggles: "perfectly" to mean "quite" or something similar.

Perhaps the worst case is "perfectly legal" when it means something like "within the law but deplorable."