Nan in Mass Posted March 24, 2016 Share Posted March 24, 2016 We say hunh or ay (like in day) to turn a statement into a question: So you are really going to do it, ay? That's funny, hunh? Is that what the Canadian eh does? Are there other US equivalents? If so, what are they where? Just curious, Nan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joyofsixreboot Posted March 24, 2016 Share Posted March 24, 2016 I use right that way. Awesome purse, right? Awesome purse, eh? 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paige Posted March 24, 2016 Share Posted March 24, 2016 I don't use anything for that usually. I just ask the question. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEmama Posted March 24, 2016 Share Posted March 24, 2016 I think I say right?, yes? and huh? Almost never eh, even when I lived in Canada. It doesn't hit my ear right. Huh kind of annoys me when I hear myself say it, so I try to be conscious of it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEmama Posted March 24, 2016 Share Posted March 24, 2016 Ayuh is supposed to be common where I live now, but I've never actually heard anyone say it. I'm guessing it belongs to an older generation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted March 24, 2016 Share Posted March 24, 2016 huh, right, or sometimes, yaknow? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaKim Posted March 25, 2016 Share Posted March 25, 2016 I use either huh, or eh. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted March 25, 2016 Share Posted March 25, 2016 I can't think of an American equivalent but when we visited southern Africa I liked how they used, "is it?" in a similar way. Maybe someone outside the US will know immediately what ours is... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fraidycat Posted March 26, 2016 Share Posted March 26, 2016 (edited) We say hunh or ay (like in day) to turn a statement into a question: So you are really going to do it, ay? That's funny, hunh? Is that what the Canadian eh does? Are there other US equivalents? If so, what are they where? Just curious, Nan Eh? IS ay, like day. I'm Canadian so I just use "eh?". I caught myself using it today, in fact. :) Edited March 26, 2016 by fraidycat 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted March 26, 2016 Author Share Posted March 26, 2016 Eh? IS ay, like day. I'm Canadian so I just use "eh?". I caught myself using it today, in fact. :) Really? My Canadian inlaws seem to say eh like elephant. I can see how it would be an awfully near relative of ay, though. I hadn,t really made the connection. We use ayuh constantly but unless you are really a downeaster, it comes out very light on the a part, sort of just with a slightly longer y sound. We say ayuh for emphasis, for saying yousure are right about that. Nan 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eternalsummer Posted March 26, 2016 Share Posted March 26, 2016 isn't it 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MercyA Posted March 26, 2016 Share Posted March 26, 2016 (edited) I think I most frequently use "right" and very occasionally "yes." You're coming with us, right? You'd like sugar in your tea, yes? ETA: And yes, I also use "isn't it." Thanks for the reminder, ananemone. Edited March 26, 2016 by MercyA 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted March 26, 2016 Author Share Posted March 26, 2016 We use isn,t it or doesn,t it, too. I hadn,t thought of that. We use right, but not yes. I notice when people use yes. Right is used in places where there is more doubt, I think? It,s really cold out, right? (Not quite sure) It,s really cold out, hunh? (Or ay) (Sure about the cold and sure the other person agrees, just commenting) It,s really cold out, isn,t it? (Either one, more formal) Fraidycat, does eh work like this, too? Nan 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted March 26, 2016 Author Share Posted March 26, 2016 Ayuh is supposed to be common where I live now, but I've never actually heard anyone say it. I'm guessing it belongs to an older generation. It might be generational. The people I know who use the full ayuh rather than the shorterned version are older. Nan 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EMS83 Posted March 26, 2016 Share Posted March 26, 2016 I use "right" like a vigorous agreement. In a bad storm... DH: "It's really coming down in sheets out there." Me: "Right?!" Recently I've been using "yeah?" which I think is Australian, lol. It's really a request for confirmation... Me: "Ok you're going to clean your room now, yeah?" DD: "Yeah." I have no idea where I picked this stuff up, probably TV and the interwebs, because people around here don't talk like that. :coolgleamA: :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEmama Posted March 26, 2016 Share Posted March 26, 2016 We use isn,t it or doesn,t it, too. I hadn,t thought of that. We use right, but not yes. I notice when people use yes. Right is used in places where there is more doubt, I think? It,s really cold out, right? (Not quite sure) It,s really cold out, hunh? (Or ay) (Sure about the cold and sure the other person agrees, just commenting) It,s really cold out, isn,t it? (Either one, more formal) Fraidycat, does eh work like this, too? Nan Yes. It can go at the end of most any sentence, question or exclamation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted March 26, 2016 Share Posted March 26, 2016 I use "right" like a vigorous agreement. In a bad storm... DH: "It's really coming down in sheets out there." Me: "Right?!" Recently I've been using "yeah?" which I think is Australian, lol. It's really a request for confirmation... Me: "Ok you're going to clean your room now, yeah?" DD: "Yeah." I have no idea where I picked this stuff up, probably TV and the interwebs, because people around here don't talk like that. :coolgleamA: :lol: I am currently visiting in the US right now and it seems like "awesome" has become the catch phase for many things. I order a coffee with milk not cream......it's awesome. :lol: No, I am simply sick of fancy expensive coffee! As above, I comment how hard it's raining to a cashier......once again it's "really" awesome. No it's been raining a lot. It pops up constantly especially with the dc's friends. Everything seems to be awesome with them. Maybe even cleaning bedrooms! ;) I guarantee my kids aren't going to start using it regarding housework although I have heard dd say it a few times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted March 26, 2016 Share Posted March 26, 2016 Oh, I know what a lot of Americans say... we say, "You know?" or "Ya know?" all the time after sentences. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle Posted March 26, 2016 Share Posted March 26, 2016 I feel obliged to point out that the Canadian "eh" is regional and is not used in all parts of Canada. I only ever hear it in parodies as it is not part of the dialect where I live. I would use "isn't it?" or "right?" I notice that many American tourists who visit here say "huh?" at the end of a question. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wintermom Posted March 26, 2016 Share Posted March 26, 2016 Here's some Great White North educational TV, eh. Take off, eh! I think I slip in an 'eh' now and again, like, subliminally, eh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted March 26, 2016 Share Posted March 26, 2016 I try to avoid it. Or to put it another way, I try to use those words to make a point rather than throwing them out there just because. :-) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8circles Posted March 26, 2016 Share Posted March 26, 2016 I use all of the above except full-ayuh. Depending on.... Idk. But I know I use them all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxbridgeacademy Posted March 26, 2016 Share Posted March 26, 2016 I often put "you know" at the end of a question, drives my husband crazy. I'll also use "right" if I'm expecting emphatic agreement. "That guy was a jerk, right?" Or saying Right instead of a plain yes. I picked both the "you know" and the "Right?!" while living in Charlotte NC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted March 26, 2016 Share Posted March 26, 2016 "ya know" or "you know" I didn't even know I did this until a Japanese exchange student in high school asked me why people say "you know" so much. She wanted to know what that was all about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reefgazer Posted March 27, 2016 Share Posted March 27, 2016 (edited) I use "Eh", but I am from northern NYS (so, sorta like pseudo-Canadians). I notice Bernie uses the term, as well, and he's from northern Vermont. Edited March 27, 2016 by reefgazer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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