{"id":4412,"date":"2014-10-07T09:00:51","date_gmt":"2014-10-07T13:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/english\/?p=4412"},"modified":"2014-09-29T01:36:47","modified_gmt":"2014-09-29T05:36:47","slug":"the-canadian-eh-and-how-it-is-used-in-english","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/english\/the-canadian-eh-and-how-it-is-used-in-english\/","title":{"rendered":"The Canadian \u201ceh\u201d and how it is used in English"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Image<\/a>

Image “Canadian eh!” by Marc Falardeau on Flickr.com.<\/p><\/div>\n

My last post on this blog was an introduction to the great country of Canada, the world\u2019s second largest country, and the largest (by land and water size) English speaking country in the world. Today, I\u2019m going to introduce you to a unique Canadian word, \u201ceh\u201d, and how English speakers in Canada use it. If you ever go to Canada, you will hear Canadians using the word\/interjection \u201ceh\u201d in their speech, frequently. This \u201ceh\u201d is a big part of the Canadian-English accent.<\/p>\n

So, let\u2019s start by talking about what \u201ceh\u201d is. It is an interjection. An interjection is a word used to express an emotion or sentiment by a speaker. You can read more about English interjections here<\/a> in a previous post on this Transparent Language<\/a> blog.<\/p>\n

Canadians commonly end sentences with the interjection \u201ceh.\u201d The interjection \u201ceh\u201d can mean many different things in English though, from “Excuse me,” to “Please repeat that,” or “huh? I didn\u2019t understand.” But the Canadian \u201ceh\u201d doesn\u2019t usually mean any of these things. In Canada \u201ceh\u201d is added to the end of statements for these reasons: 1) to check if a listener is understanding and listening to what one is saying; 2) to check for the listener\u2019s continued interest; 3) to check for agreement; 4) to add emphasis to what one is saying; and 5) to turn a declarative sentence into a question<\/strong> (when this is done the \u201ceh\u201d is used to make a tag question, almost like a spoken question mark. You can learn more about tag questions in this previous post<\/a> I have written).<\/p>\n

To help you better understand the use of the interjection \u201ceh\u201d that is part of the Canadian accent, here are some example sentences in which it is used.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m going to class, eh, then stopping by the store on the way home.\u201d<\/strong> (Use #1)<\/p>\n

\u201cMy backpacking trip was over 5 days long and we saw some amazing scenery, eh.\u201d<\/strong> (Use #2)<\/p>\n

\u201cToronto is a really nice city, eh.\u201d<\/strong> (Uses #3, 4, or 5)<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is going to rain later today, eh.\u201d<\/strong> (Uses #4 &5)<\/p>\n

\u201cGo clean your room before super, eh.\u201d<\/strong> (Use #4)<\/p>\n

“What do you think? Not bad, eh?”<\/strong> (Use #5)<\/p>\n

\u201cYou are pretty good at hockey, eh.\u201d<\/strong> (Uses #4 & 5)<\/p>\n

As you can see from these examples, most of the time that \u201ceh\u201d is used by Canadians it is added to the end of phrase or sentence.<\/p>\n

If you ever travel to Canada you will likely find that you will pick up the use of the interjection \u201ceh\u201d in your own speech. It is quite common and contagious, and now you know how to use it.<\/p>\n

One last note, I found this YouTube video, by a real Canadian, explaining the use of \u201ceh\u201d in his own words. He goes over much of what I have covered above and a few other ways to use the word \u201ceh\u201d. Take a look to better understand this unique Canadian use of the interjection \u201ceh\u201d and hear a Canadian accent (which is only a little different from an American accent).<\/p>\n

https:\/\/search.yahoo.com\/search?fr=mcafee&type=A111US105&p=you+tube+canadian+eh<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

My last post on this blog was an introduction to the great country of Canada, the world\u2019s second largest country, and the largest (by land and water size) English speaking country in the world. Today, I\u2019m going to introduce you to a unique Canadian word, \u201ceh\u201d, and how English speakers in Canada use it. If…<\/p>\n

Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":85,"featured_media":4413,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[3,135139],"tags":[4540,4541,333460,333461,333458,85],"class_list":["post-4412","post","type-post","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture","category-english-language","tag-canada","tag-canadian","tag-canadian-accent","tag-canadian-eh","tag-eh","tag-interjection"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t