I’m a “Well” Person Myself

I thought this bit of information was interesting:

One of the most unusual — OK, weird — features of Silicon Valley language is repetitive use of the word “so” to begin sentences when we’re answering questions. “So,” replaces the interjection “well” as it is used in the Midwestern and Southeastern American states and elsewhere.

If you ask someone in the South for directions, they’re likely to start with “Well, you turn right at the corner…” The word as used here implies that the speaker is thinking about it for a second before providing a considered answer.

In Silicon Valley, they’ll say, “So you turn right at the corner…,” which implies that the thinking has already taken place in the past.

The word “so” is used when the answer is very well known — or at least when the speaker wants to imply that his answer has been thoroughly reviewed by a committee and approved for public release without a nondisclosure agreement.

It reminds me of the tendency for people in the northeast (and elsewhere?) to add a rising intonation to the end of every sentence (interrogative or not). Sort of drives me crazy.