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What does the end of sentence eh tag mean in Canadian English? It seems like it should mean something. In other languages, final tags can indicate questions or other things.

MatthewMartin
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2 Answers2

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I use it to mean "okay?" or "right?" or "do you not agree with me?" All more-or-less the same, acha?

James McLeod
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It's a Canadian, not American usage, but I've always considered it the "Anglo" equivalent of the French "n'est-ce pas?" which translates loosely into "isn't it so?"

Tom Au
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    He never said it was American. –  Jan 21 '12 at 18:52
  • @Mahnax: But I am American (for full disclosure). – Tom Au Jan 21 '12 at 18:52
  • How do you know that it is British? –  Jan 21 '12 at 18:53
  • I suppose, maybe it's used in the North of England? "What's all that about, eh, lad?" although that seems a bit of a stretch – Matt E. Эллен Jan 21 '12 at 18:58
  • This is a really, really common Canadian mannerism. I've met Canadians that do this genuinely, that do this in jest, and it is a what comedians seize on when imitating Canadians. I just have never lived in Canada (or along the Canada-US border), so I'm not sure what it means. – MatthewMartin Jan 21 '12 at 18:59
  • @Tom: if you removed the part about British/American, your answer would be just right (and then might get votes). – Mitch Jan 21 '12 at 20:12
  • @Mitch: Changed "British" to "Canadian." I honestly thought the English used it also, but maybe not. – Tom Au Jan 21 '12 at 20:38
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    It's bog-standard British usage. If Canadians also say it, we didn't get it from them - they got it from us. – FumbleFingers Jan 21 '12 at 20:54
  • @FumbleFingers: What's 'bog-standard'? I'm guessing it's not the Queen's English (but from what I hear the Queen's ain't it either). – Mitch Jan 21 '12 at 21:04
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    @Mitch: Sorry - I was really aiming my comment more at Matt Эллен, who being UK-based would understand it. Bog -standard is another standard British expression meaning - well, "standard". I honestly don't know where the "bog" bit comes from, but it's very common in slightly down-market spoken usage. You wouldn't disagree with that Matt, eh? – FumbleFingers Jan 21 '12 at 21:11