So, is there a new use of so?

[Arnold M. Zwicky]

a blast from the past:

On Jan 2, 2006, at 2:36 PM, Jason Norris wrote:

> 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..."

now in the 10/14/06 Economist, a letter to the editor (p. 17), which
begins:

Battling on

SIR - So the National Intelligence Estimate's assertion that the Iraq
war has exacerbated terrorism would only be dismissed by "the
wilfully dimsighted" ("Stating the obvious", September 30th).  As you
supported the incursion in the run-up to the war, and many times
since, are you included among the visually impaired?

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a dfferent sort of example (challenging in tone) from the ones we
looked at back in january.

arnold (zwicky at csli.stanford.edu)

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