"Eh!" Top 5 Page for this destination Niagara Falls Local Custom Tip by JennysTravels

A bit of orginal language that seperates us Canadians from the rest. So when you comming to Canada, eh?

Eh is a spoken interjection in English and Spanish meaning "Huh?", "What?", "Hey", or "Repeat that, please". It is also commonly used as a method for inciting an answer, as in "those trees are red, eh?"

In addition, "eh" can also be used as an exclamation: "He's all right, eh!" This has its origins in Scotland, where it can still be heard.

The only usage of eh that is peculiar to Canada, according to the Canadian Oxford Dictionary, is for "ascertaining the comprehension, continued interest, agreement, etc., of the person or persons addressed" as in, "It's four kilometres away, eh, so I have to go by bike." Similarly, "It's nine-o'clock, eh?" means "You do know that it's nine o'clock? You are aware that it's nine-o'clock?".

In that case, eh is used to confirm the attention of the listener and to invite a supportive noise such as "Mm" or "Oh" or "Okay". It essentially is an interjection meaning, "I'm checking to see you're listening so I can continue."

"Eh" can also be added to the end of a declarative sentence to turn it into a question. For example: "The weather is nice." becomes "The weather is nice, eh?" This same phrase could also be taken as "The weather is nice, don't you agree?".

Further examples of Canadian usage include: "I know, eh?" (Agreement), "Yeah, eh?" (Agreement; tone of voice changes meaning slightly). "I know. Eh!" (Pause between 'know' and 'eh' and emphasise 'eh'. This is an excited agreement.) Although technically questions, these are also said as statements.

The usage of "eh" in Canada is often mocked in the United States, where some view its use as a stereotypical Canadianism. Many Canadians dispute its use (for example, singer Don Freed in his song "Saskatchewan" declares "What is this 'Eh?' nonsense? I wouldn't speak like that if I were paid to.").

Usage of "eh" is more common in Eastern Canada, and less common in the Prairie Provinces and British Columbia.