'Eh? Happy Turkey Day to you and yours, janet, and all the Canadians that are part of this ListFamily. Say hello to Tom for me. Carole H. --- janet paterson <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > g'day from the mississippi/ottawa valleys > > it's turkey day in canada! > [we get to say thanks for the harvest 5 or 6 weeks > earlier > than the yanks down south cause it's colder sooner > up here dontcha know] > > i'm giving thanks today for harvests of all kinds > > the re-discovery of the people and the land of my > birth > > the cyber-siblings [and a certain cyber-parent] > who share joy and pain with me here on a daily > [pretty much] basis > > the re-found progeny > of a long lost and since passed on sanguine-sibling > > the re-found progeny > of a bittersweet time of innocence in my own life > > new pathways to follow with relatives and friends > long held dear > > all layers and shades of meanings of the word > family > > i have been blessed > > i am only starting to realize how much [abundantly, > pretty much] > and how often [continuously, pretty much] > > so, > in the interests of furthering global understanding > and communication > through the useage of this miraculous mythereal > medium, > i present the definitive answer to the > profound Canadian question: > > --------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Eh? > > Rhymes with hay. The great Canajan monosyllable and > shibboleth, 'eh?', is all things to all men. Other > nations may boast their interjections and > interrogative expletives - such as the Mare Can > 'Huh?', the Briddish 'what?', the French 'hein?' - > but none of them can claim the range and scope of > meaning that are encompassed by the simple Canajan > 'eh?'. Interrogation, assertion, surprise, > bewilderment, disbelief, contempt - these are only > the beginning of 'eh?' and already we have passed > beyond the limitations of 'huh?', 'what?', 'hein?' > and their pallid analogues. > > To begin with, 'eh?' is an indicator, sure and > infallible, that one is in the presence of an > authentic Canajan speaker. Although 'eh?' may be met > with in Briddish and Mare Can litter choor, no one > else in the world 'eh?'s his way through life as a > Canajan does, nor half so comfortably. By contrast, > 'huh?' is a grunt; 'what?' foppish and affected; and > 'hein?' nasal and querulous. Whereas 'eh?' takes you > instantly into the speaker's confidence. Only 'eh?' > is frank and open, easy and unaffected, friendly and > even intimate. > > Viewed syntactically, 'eh?' may appear solo or as > part of a set of words, in which case it may occupy > either terminal, medial or initial position. We > shall consider these briefly. > > 1. Its commonest solo use is as a simple > interrogative calling for the repetition of > something either not heard because inaudible or, if > heard, then not clearly understood. In this context > 'Eh?' equals 'What did you say?", 'How's that?' Or > in Canajan, 'Wadja say?', 'Howzat?' > > According to intonation, the meaning of solo 'Eh?' > may vary all the way from inquiry [as we have seen] > through doubt to incredulity. Here are a few > examples: > > 'I'm giving up smoking.' 'Eh?' [A cross between > what? and oh, yeah?] > > 'Could you loan me two bucks?' 'Eh?' [Are you > kidding?] > > 'Here's the two bucks I owe you.' 'Eh?' [I don't > believe it!] > > 2. 'Eh?' in terminal position offers a running > commentary on the speaker's narrative, not unlike > vocal footnotes: > > 'I'm walking down the street, eh?' [Like this, see?] > > 'I'd hadda few beers en I was feeling priddy good, > eh?' [You know how it is.] > > 'When all of a sudden I saw this big guy, eh?' [I'm > not fooling.] > > 'He musta weighed all of 220 pounds, eh?' [Believe > me.] > > 'I could see him from a long ways off en he was a > real big guy, eh?' [I'm not fooling.] > > 'I'm minding my own business, eh?' [You can bet I > was.] > > 'But this guy was taking up the whole sidewalk, eh?' > [Like I mean he really was.] > > 'So when he came up to me, I jess stepped inta the > gudder, eh?' [I'm not crazy, ya know.] > > 'En he went on by, eh?' [Just like that.] > > 'I gave up, eh?' [What else could I do?] > > 'Whattud you a done, eh?' [I'd like to know since > you're so smart.] > > 3. 'Eh?' in medial position is less common and so > much prized by collectors: > > 'We're driving to Miami, eh?, for our holidays.' > [Like where else?] > > 'There aren't many people, eh?, that can find their > way around Oddawa like he can.' [You know as well as > I do.] > > 4. 'Eh?' rarely appears in initial position. Thus, > while one might ask: 'N'est-ce pas qu'il a de la > chance?', Canajans could only say: 'He's lucky, eh?' > > Forners are warned to observe extreme caution with > 'eh?' since nothing will give them away more quickly > than its indiscriminate use. Like the pronunciation > of Skatchwan [only much more so], it is a badge of > Canajanism which requires half a lifetime to learn > to use with the proper panache. > > A teacher at Arm See suggested recently that 'eh?' > is not Canajan since it may also be found in the > Knighted States, the You Kay and Sow Thafrica. In > the same way sign tists have tried to prove that > hockey was not invented in Canada, but Canajans > remain unconvinced, eh? > > --------------------------------------------------------------------- > Further References Added For Clarification Of The > Above: > > Anglo: A non-French Canajan Canajan. > > Arm See: Royal Military College at Kingston, > Untario. > > Briddish: of or pertaining to Grade Bridden. > Sometimes contracted to Brish, as in: Brish > Commonwealth. > > Briddi Shyles: England, Scotland, Wales, and > Northern Ireland. Commonly called the You Kay. > > Canajan: Four meanings are commonly distinguished. > 1. Of Canada or its inhabitants. 2. A person of > Canajan birth or nationality. 3. An Anglo, q.v. 4. > The nash null language of Anglos. > > Forners: A non-Canajan. The adjective is Forn. > > Godda: See Hadda. > > Grade Bridden: England, Scotland, and Wales. See > Briddi Shyles. > > Hadda: To be obliged to do something. Cognate with > Godda. As in: 'I jiss hadda tellum, Susan, I jiss > hadda.' 'Well, thass life, Linda, if ya godda ya > godda.' > > Hugh Ess: The Mare Can nation. See Knighted States. > So convenient has the Hugh Ess been to the > development of the Canajan ethos that if the Hugh > Ess did not exist it would be necessary to invent > it. By the same token, if the Hugh Ess did not > exist, neither would Canada, much as in physics > anti-matter requires matter to sustain it. It may > here be noted that the best, perhaps the only > generally === message truncated === ===== __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Bid and sell for free at http://auctions.yahoo.com