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I'm actually from Michigan, and we always say 'eh'. Actually same thing in Minnesota, Wisconsin, etc. Whenever I have met 'Canadians'...i.e. the 'Great Lakes' ones...they ALWAYS do the 'eh' in just about the exact same way.
However, on an international level...it's always been said that Americans never say 'eh', and all Canadians do.
I have heard 'international students' say they say 'eh' in Vancouver as well...but I am wondering if it is more of a Great Lakes people of Canada who move out to Vancouver and keep saying it.
(It's a hard habit to break - speaking as a person who left Michigan 17 years ago, and still find myself saying 'eh').
Last edited by Tiger Beer; 09-13-2010 at 12:24 AM..
Vancouver is probably the city in English-speaking Canada where you are least likely to hear "eh" often- although of course you hear occasionally.
"Eh" is really much more widely-used in the outlying areas or the smaller towns in BC, in my opinion.
I think it's common everywhere in BC. I've lived in this province for more than 60 years and have been saying it and hearing it from others all my life, it's an easy habit to pick up and is just a natural part of the language. I'm in Vancouver now and eh is as common as rain here just as it is throughout the rest of the province. Even new immigrants here pick it up quickly. I also hear a lot of Americans saying eh.
I find that New York State is "huh" territory as well, as soon as you cross the border in fact. Some neighbouring areas of Canada seem to be "huh" territory (or a mix of "eh" and "huh") as well, like Niagara Falls and environs in the Niagara peninsula of Ontario.
I once heard "huh" being used but not well accepted, not sure if it was personalities at play or semantics. I perceived the Canadian's "eh" as friendlier than "huh". But let's see what the dictionary says:
Quote:
eh (, )interj.1. Used in asking a question or in seeking repetition or confirmation of a statement. 2. Chiefly Canadian Used to ascertain or reinforce a listener's interest or agreement.
Quote:
huh (h)interj. Used to express interrogation, surprise, contempt, or indifference.
When I lived in Vancouver / BC, I noticed that a lot of people said "Hey?" instead of "Eh?".
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, 
)interj.1. Used in asking a question or in seeking repetition or confirmation of a statement.
)interj. Used to express interrogation, surprise, contempt, or indifference.
