So, is there a new use of so?

[Jonathan Lighter]

Just last week an acquaintance, age ca 60, came over to me and without any ado uttered the following words:

  "So a guy goes into a toy store to buy his kid a Barbi doll..."

  I quickly understood that a goak was to follow. But I too thought his use of "so" was rather novel.

  [Rest of goak follows :]

  "'...and he says, ' What kind of dolls you got? '

  "' Well, we got Malibu Barbi, $19.95. Mermaid Barbi, $19.95. Divorced Barbi, $229.95...'

  "' The guy says, ' Whoa! Wait a minute!  Divorced Barbi, $229.95 ? Why is she so expensive?'

  "' Well, she comes with Ken's car, Ken's yacht, Ken's house....' "

  JL
Jason Norris <jasonnorris at YAHOO.COM> wrote:
  ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
Sender: American Dialect Society
Poster: Jason Norris
Subject: So, is there a new use of so?
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Lately, I've been noticing an interesting use of the word "so," and was wondering where it might come from? I've heard it more from students and only within the last few years.

Example: A woman walks in and says, "So I was trying find a parking spot yesterday when it started raining..."

She wasn't using the word "so" to connect something she had already said. We haven't seen her all day and the first word out of her mouth is, "So..."

I have heard "so" used at the beginning of a thought, but in different ways.

First, if the conversation moves into something embarrassing, someone might, in that period of awkward silence, "So...how 'bout them Cubs?" Even then, it is related to something that came before.

The second use I've heard is from comedians. "So these three public radio hosts were talking about the weather one day..." (Or something funny).

So, back to this other use of the word, "so." It is not like those examples. The tone is different. Not everyone uses it -- mostly young people.

Have you heard this? Where might it come from? My hunch is it is from some television show or movie, but I was wondering what you think about it.

Thanks,
Jason


We can't solve problems by using
the same kind of thinking we used
when we created them.
·································
If we knew what we were doing,
it wouldn't be called research,
would it?"
···············Albert Einstein···




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