[caligatrux]

Using “so” as an interjection

I seem to recall someone (Scott Adams, perhaps?) suggesting that using "so" as an interjection was a fairly reliable tell for cognitive dissonance.

[glennaro]

To me, “so” at the beginning of a response is merely a substitute for “uh” ... either way, it’s a stall tactic.

[VietVet]

‘...”So” as an interjection.’

The use of ‘so’ or a similar word as an interjection is very old in the English language. The very first word in the Old English poem “Beowulf” is ‘Hwat!’, which is used much like ‘So!’. Some times, poets and writers used ‘Lo!’ in the same way.