adverbs - When did the word "so" begin to be used to start a sentence?


In the last few years, I've noticed a growing usage of the word "so" to begin a sentence, especially in the context of higher education.


For example:


Interviewer: "What is the nature of your research"


Researcher: "So, what we wanted to find out is..."


It seems to be a replacement the word "well", or, more informally, "ok". Has this usage of the word been around for a long time and I'm just now noticing it? Do you think that is a valid use of the word?



Answer



This isn't exactly an answer to "when," but the example that you provide--of a researcher--follows the thesis of this article on the phenomenon: http://seedmagazine.com/content/article/so/


This article is linked from this page from the CBC Radio program, Quirks & Quarks (see the very bottom of the page, where you can listen to the show excerpt about the use of the word "so").


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