Why do Canadians says EH?

It’s just one of our inflections…and I do admit that I use it quite aggressively.

Every nation has it’s own thing…we say eh, and we’re pretty damn proud of it, eh!

(Might I add - Americans tend to lay it on a little thick when they portaray Canadians in films)

It’s becoming a dead giveaway on a lot of American basic-cable television that nearly everything is being made in Canada, thanks to the ubiquitous ‘’Eh?’’ TLC, DIY, HGTV, Food, Travel, FLTV – nearly any ‘’home’’ or ‘’lifestyle’’ channel sounds straight out of SCTV these days.

I’m Canadian, and I admit, I use it often enough to earn the stereotype. I don’t think we’re the only country who does it though. Don’t really know how that came to be either.

Every area has its own dialect. I noticed in North Dakota a lot of people say “yah” at the end of every sentence in a similar manner. I grew up on the Canadian boarder in Michigan so I picked up the “eh?” habit as well. When I moved down to Texas people looked at me like I was Mars when I ended a sentence with “eh” In Texas I had to learn to say that I was “fixin’ to do something” where in Michigan I might say that I would do it directly. I also had to learn to talk a lot slower. Until I learned to slow down the most common phrase I heard was “say what!?” I’ve slowed down so much that when I visit Michigan I can’t get a word in edgewise.

Well.. I’m Canadian. And I actually don’t often say, “Eh” Although most Canadians do.. Some don’t. It’s a stereotype. And most American television shows exaggerate the CRAP out of it.
And I also have duel-citizenship for Canada and USA. And saying “Eh” Is like when Americans say, “Huh”