Ya, eh?

Most of you have probably met a Canadian (a polite, non-confrontational one, no doubt) or two in your day.  Some of you have probably made fun of how Canadians say, “eh?” after pretty much ever sentence.  A typical conversation between a Canadian and foreigner goes something like this:

Canadian – “It’s pretty hot, eh?”

Foreigner – “Ya, EH?”

Canadian – “Oh, is that what I say?  Thanks for that.”

I read an article the other day that said Canadians use “eh?” to look for confirmation.  Instead of saying, “The weather is bad,” we say, “The weather is bad, eh?”  There is obviously some inkling of doubt within us that forces the “eh?” usage.  Ironically, how we confirm one’s statement is to say, “Ya, eh?”  Only this time it’s not someone mocking us, but rather someone who makes us feel smarter.