Post by otterman on Nov 7, 2018 21:15:20 GMT
Canadians are not particularly amused when you eagerly point out their "eh" habit, but the word has become emblematic of the country in a way that is now mostly out of their control. In response, some have embraced it, adopting it as an element of Canadian patriotism. But what even is this word? How did it come to be so associated with Canada?
"Eh" is what's known as an invariant tag — something added on to the end of a sentence that's the same every time it's used. A tag, in linguistics, is a word or sound or short phrase added after a thought which changes that thought in some way. The most common tags are question tags, which change a thought into a question. "It’s a nice day, isn't it?" would be one example. The tag "isn't it" turns that statement of fact into something that could prompt a response; the speaker is asking for confirmation or rejection.
"Eh" is invariant because it doesn't change at all based on what you're talking about; it remains "eh" whether you're talking about one subject or many, now or in the past. But it's also a lot more flexible than other tags — it isn't just a question tag, but can be used for all kinds of things and Canadians exploit this capability.
There are a few major ways a Canadian could use "eh". The first is while stating an opinion: "It's a nice day, eh?" Another would be as an exclamation tag, which is added to a sentence in order to indicate surprise: "What a game, eh?" Or you could use it for a request or command: "Put it over here, eh?" And then there's the odd example of using it within a criticism: "You really messed that one up, eh?"
All of these uses have one pragmatic purpose in common: They all show politeness. Using "eh" to end the statement of an opinion or an explanation is a way for the speaker to express solidarity with the listener. It's not exactly asking for reassurance or confirmation, but it's not far off. The speaker is basically saying: "Hey, we're on the same page here, we agree on this."
"Eh" is what's known as an invariant tag — something added on to the end of a sentence that's the same every time it's used. A tag, in linguistics, is a word or sound or short phrase added after a thought which changes that thought in some way. The most common tags are question tags, which change a thought into a question. "It’s a nice day, isn't it?" would be one example. The tag "isn't it" turns that statement of fact into something that could prompt a response; the speaker is asking for confirmation or rejection.
"Eh" is invariant because it doesn't change at all based on what you're talking about; it remains "eh" whether you're talking about one subject or many, now or in the past. But it's also a lot more flexible than other tags — it isn't just a question tag, but can be used for all kinds of things and Canadians exploit this capability.
There are a few major ways a Canadian could use "eh". The first is while stating an opinion: "It's a nice day, eh?" Another would be as an exclamation tag, which is added to a sentence in order to indicate surprise: "What a game, eh?" Or you could use it for a request or command: "Put it over here, eh?" And then there's the odd example of using it within a criticism: "You really messed that one up, eh?"
All of these uses have one pragmatic purpose in common: They all show politeness. Using "eh" to end the statement of an opinion or an explanation is a way for the speaker to express solidarity with the listener. It's not exactly asking for reassurance or confirmation, but it's not far off. The speaker is basically saying: "Hey, we're on the same page here, we agree on this."
