The word “So”, used as a “Well, …” or “Um, …” at the start of a sentence (Letters, 16 January) has been current in America for quite some time.
I guess it is another of many examples of US English usage that originated with German immigrants before travelling back over the Atlantic to us. It’s very common in German to begin a sentence with an “Also …” pronounced with the emphasis on the first syllable and meaning “Well, …”. Sometimes the meaning of a German-influenced word or phrase undergoes a subtle or even radical alteration on its way into the English language. The oddest example that I can think of is our use of “half two” to mean “half past two”. In German “halb zwei” is 1.30 not 2.30.
Kirsten Cubitt Thorley
Sheffield
• Join the debate – email guardian.letters@theguardian.com
• Read more Guardian letters – click here to visit gu.com/letters
