O/T: Annoying Word Emphasis Changes

[SwalePie]

Am I the only one who wonders when and why the emphasis changed in certain phrases?

Two examples:

Top GEAR has become TOP Gear

Big MAC has become BIG Mac.

Does anyone even know what I'm talking about? If so, why has this happened and does it annoy you too?

[tied_up_in_notts]

It's American - as in ICE cream

[SwalePie]

It's American - as in ICE cream

Yes that's another example. I'm so glad someone else hears it! Americans also refer to ROBIN Hood.

[tied_up_in_notts]

We're so swamped by American culture that many Brits now speak like them.
It's like speaking each sentence as if it's a question? Americans and Aussies both do that, and young people here now do it all the time.
Or starting a sentence with "So . . ." which usually makes no sense at all.
Few people seem to worry about any of this (or the McDonalds and the Starbucks and the Frankie & Benny's and the TGI Fridays on every corner), yet they are always harping on about "losing our identity" within the European community.
Go figure . . . . as the Americans say.

[Dunkirk-Pie]

Or starting a sentence with "So . . ." which usually makes no sense at all.

This has become an epidemic, and once you start to notice it, it will drive you nuts. I'd like to see Radio 4 introduce a "three strikes and you're out" rule, whereby any contributor who begins three consecutive answers with "So..." has their microphone immediately switched off.

[theory_extinct]

I blame the baby boomer generation, ever since they latched on to Rock n Roll our language and morals have been in a downward spiral.

[tied_up_in_notts]

This has become an epidemic, and once you start to notice it, it will drive you nuts. I'd like to see Radio 4 introduce a "three strikes and you're out" rule, whereby any contributor who begins three consecutive answers with "So..." has their microphone immediately switched off.

I listen to BBC 5Live quite a lot whilst driving, and just about every guest they have on does it - and annoyingly, the more educated they are (scientists, doctors, teachers, academics - people who should know better) the more likely they are to do it.
For about two years now I have had a policy whereby as soon as someone does it I say "You start with So, and off you go!" and I turn the radio off for a few minutes until the culprit has gone.
I find recently that the radio is off far more than it is on - true story.

[Simon the Pieman]

5 Live seems to be all about the social and domestic lives of the presenters.
Why do people put "like" into almost every sentence? Drives me mad.
Note to Charlie and Mark. It's not "them players". Rant over.

[ncfcog]

Charlie Slater is actually one of the worst culprits for this. I get the impression he thinks he is down with the kids and is only ever one sentence away from calling Stallard or any of his interviewees "Bro". In fact he seems to be getting worse, he needs to know for example that the letter 'T' actually features in the word 'battle' instead of always saying "bah-ull". It's just imbarrissing!

[drillerpie]

This has become an epidemic, and once you start to notice it, it will drive you nuts. I'd like to see Radio 4 introduce a "three strikes and you're out" rule, whereby any contributor who begins three consecutive answers with "So..." has their microphone immediately switched off.

I don't mind 'so' but I cringe when British people say REsearch (it's reSEARCH).