So?

So does anyone know when people started sentences (and emails) with the word "so," with no obvious antecedent?

I began noticing it about a year ago and now it seems to everywhere.  

An interviewer on NPR asks someone "What's your new book about?"  

And the author replies, "So, I began writing this book about a year ago..."

So what's the deal?

My theory -- it's the English equivalent of the French "alors," which is a generalized exclamation, used to interject a hard stop between whatever came before and what follows. 

(During my vacation in Italy, I noticed that shopkeepers used the Italian allora-- literally, "so" -- the same way.)

A good example of the French usage is the music video of a 2009 song by the Belgian singer Stromae, Alors on danse! ("So we dance!").  A businessman has a lousy day and, in reaction to a final indignity, throws up his hands and proclaims, "So we dance!"

You can view the original music video, in French, here.  And Stromae's English-language version is here. Several American rappers released covers of the song in 2010. Kanye West's version (really a remix) is here.

One problem: as far as I can tell, none of these versions use English for the title words, but keep Alors on danse!   

Second problem: once you play all three versions, you won't be able to get the infectious beat out of your head.

So.