Where did the use of the conjunction "So,..." at the beginning of a reply come from?

Question

I am hearing more incidences of people being asked a direct question responding with a reply beginning with

So, ...

For example,

Questioner: "What do you think we should buy Janice for her birthday present?"

Respondent: "So, I thought that a voucher towards the cost of a meal for 2 at an expensive restaurant would be good, but with the Covid lockdown, I don't know when she would get any use out of it."

When, where and how did this enter into the English Language?

@EdwinAshworth I was not provided with those threads when carrying out a search, hence my question. As you can see, I accepted the 2 suggestions made a few seconds before you posted this comment and closed my question as a duplicate — Chris Rogers, Apr 02 '21 at 10:35
"So" is not a conjunction, but an adverb functioning as a connective adjunct. — BillJ, Apr 02 '21 at 11:31
@BillJ you are correct in your assertion that "so" can be an adverb, but it can also be a conjunction (among others). See this Merriam Webster entry or this Cambridge Dictionary entry or this Oxford Learner's Dictionary entry — Chris Rogers, Apr 02 '21 at 11:47
@ChrisRogers I wouldn't go along with you there. "So" is either an adverb, e.g. in the OP's example, or a preposition with a content clause complement, typically occurring in result or purpose adjuncts. It does not occur as a conjunction, despite what dictionaries tell us. They are fine for meanings, but hopeless for anything else! — BillJ, Apr 02 '21 at 11:56

Where did the use of the conjunction "So,..." at the beginning of a reply come from?

0 Answers0