# "The thing is..." **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 27, 2014, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thing-is/702670 "2014-10-27T18:09:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2014, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thing-is/702670/21 "2014-10-28T07:15:22Z")
I found myself reusing “anyways” a lot. I’ll hit a digression (interesting to me, at least), but then feel need to go back to the original topic. So I start a new paragraph with “anyways.” I do also say something similar to the OP: “The problem is…” It was close enough, I thought the OP was talking about me for a second. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Nylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/77aa72/32.png) [@Mr.Nylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Nylock)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2014, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thing-is/702670/22 "2014-10-28T12:17:50Z")
> [@chacoguy](#): > > I, literally, could care less. As a matter of fact, I think it’s supposed to be couldn’t. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2014, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thing-is/702670/23 "2014-10-28T13:19:55Z")
“Do you hear what I’m sayin’?” Hell no, I’m f–king deaf. Yes, but I don’t give a damn. “It is what it is.” I still don’t give a damn. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2014, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thing-is/702670/24 "2014-10-28T13:59:41Z")
> [@Mr.Nylock](#): > > As a matter of fact, I think it’s supposed to be couldn’t. “I Know That’s Right…!” ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2014, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thing-is/702670/25 "2014-10-28T14:18:13Z")
Like, when I was a kid, there was like this other boy who like sprinkled the word “like” like really frequently into his sentences and like sounded like a retarded valley girl. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2014, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thing-is/702670/26 "2014-10-28T14:54:25Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > My last insurance agent used the phrase ‘turn around’. “So, in that case, you’d call me, then I’d turn around and call the company and they’d give you a call and a few weeks later they’d turn around and write you a check. On the other hand, if it was your fault, you’d turn around and give me a call and I’d turn around call the other party…” It drove me up the wall\*, I got into the habit of counting how many times he’d say it. It was usually something like 10 or 12 times in a 15 minute visit to his office. It’s your own fault for getting a policy with Bright Eyes Insurance. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2014, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thing-is/702670/27 "2014-10-28T15:53:24Z")
I dislike things of this nature. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2014, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thing-is/702670/28 "2014-10-28T18:56:57Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > IME some people take phrases that can be used meaningfully, and for one reason or another start to use them habitually or without understanding what their original meaning might be. At which point, the phrase becomes a “mere” discourse marker, at least for that speaker. As I said in my original post, while discourse markers were once thought to be meaningless language errors, that is no longer the case. The fact that a word or phrase is a discourse marker does not mean that it doesn’t play a signficant role in expressing the speaker’s thoughts. I did a little more research on discourse markers yesterday, and found sites (particularly sites for English teachers), that categorized various discourse markers as to their specific role and usage. I even found a discourse marker quiz for speakers of English as a second language. Of course this doesn’t mean that a discourse marker can’t be used excessively or inappropriately. I had to consciously train myself out of using the word “actually” in every sentence, and occasionally more than once in the same sentence. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2014, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thing-is/702670/29 "2014-10-28T19:36:49Z")
> [@SpoilerVirgin](#): > > The fact that a word or phrase is a discourse marker does not mean that it doesn’t play a signficant role in expressing the speaker’s thoughts. When a certain asshole I know (or anyone, for that matter, but I digress) says, “Do you hear what I’m saying?” I quit listening to him and contemplate upon what an asshole he is. Oh crap. Is “but I digress” a discourse marker? ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2014, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thing-is/702670/30 "2014-10-28T21:03:51Z")
> [@](#): > > Oh crap. Is “but I digress” a discourse marker? Yes, it is, and also one that I use frequently – so much so that at one point I thought that “but I digress” would make a great title for my autobiography. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2014, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thing-is/702670/31 "2014-10-29T04:40:22Z")
I used to work for a company in which the plant manager would hold meetings in the breakroom with everyone present. He would end sentences with “and so on and so forth” so often that I began keeping track of them on a piece of paper. Other attendees would surreptitiously glance at me to get the running tally. He said it so much that I would actually lose track. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2014, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thing-is/702670/32 "2014-10-29T06:38:47Z")
> [@SpoilerVirgin](#): > > As I said in my original post, while discourse markers were once thought to be meaningless language errors, that is no longer the case. The fact that a word or phrase is a discourse marker does not mean that it doesn’t play a signficant role in expressing the speaker’s thoughts. . . On the contrary, they’re highly functional, or people wouldn’t use them. A lof of people here seem to think that a discourse marker is just some kind of meaningless phrase that a person throws in for no particular reason. While it’s true that a “meaningless” phrase can serve as a discourse marker, not all discourse markers are “meaningless phrases.” It is just non-propositional language–and EVERYONE uses it. They are the glue of language. Words like _well_, _just_, _okay_–phrases like _you know_–are all used as discourse markers by all competent English speakers. In fact, effective use of discourse markers is one way we know that someone is a native speaker of any given language, because this all applies to other languages, too. ---
**Author:** ![Swamp\_Adder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/977dab/32.png) [@Swamp\_Adder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swamp_Adder)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2014, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thing-is/702670/33 "2014-10-29T12:38:39Z")
This makes me think of one of the pastors at my old church, who was always saying, “‘Cause I’m tellin’ ya, folks…” to emphasize a point. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2014, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thing-is/702670/34 "2014-10-29T13:12:11Z")
Indeed! ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2014, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thing-is/702670/35 "2014-10-29T14:13:16Z")
Listen kids, you shouldn’t use discourse markers. They’re bad, m’kay? Let me tell you about “the thing is” and “see, the thing is”. They’re bad. You shouldn’t say “the thing is”, m’kay? Cause that would be bad. And you don’t want to be bad. People who say those things are bad, m’kay? Let me also tell you about “like”. “Like” is bad, m’kay? Kids, you shouldn’t say “like”. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2014, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thing-is/702670/36 "2014-10-29T14:21:12Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > Indeed! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2014, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thing-is/702670/37 "2014-10-29T15:23:39Z")
I once worked for a woman who kept adding “obviously” to everything: “Obviously, that should go on the left side.” (when there wasn’t anything obvious at all). Drove everyone crazy. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2014, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thing-is/702670/38 "2014-10-29T15:28:03Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > It’s your own fault for getting a policy with Bright Eyes Insurance. When you’re living in a powder keg and giving off sparks, there aren’t that many underwriters who’ll take you on. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2014, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thing-is/702670/39 "2014-10-29T15:32:33Z")
I’ve got a habit of leading into additional points with “Another thing is…” which is funny when I go back and read one of my more long-winded posts. Another thing is, when I’m speaking in person, I tend to use “uhm” as a verbal pause. It got bad enough to where they threatened to make it my callsign when I was stationed in Korea (I worked in a command and control function). ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2014, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thing-is/702670/40 "2014-10-29T15:45:45Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > In fact, effective use of discourse markers is one way we know that someone is a native speaker of any given language, because this all applies to other languages, too. That reminds me (;)) - recently I’ve been watching a Finnish T.V. show with English subtitles. Although I don’t speak Finnish, it was easy to tell that there was a discourse marker being used, because the translator was rendering it as “indeed”. There were many sentences that included an awkward “indeed” (“What would you like for dinner, indeed?” “I enjoyed my time in the sauna, indeed”) Whatever the word is, it’s clear that it is commonly used as a discourse marker in Finnish. Also, Finnish T.V. characters do spend a lot of time in the sauna. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thing-is/702670.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thing-is/702670.md?page=3)