Stinkypup

Small world eh?

Dorothy

Careful or you'll be accused of sounding Canadian with the eh.

Stinkypup

I know- I did think about that when I wrote it

Souvy

The weather has wrecked the Winterlude festival. We have a couple of days of really cold weather coming up but it'll be too late. Winterlude ends on Monday.

Maybe we'll have an early Spring and cock-up the tulip festival too.

BristolUK

This is something that's always amazed me.
'Eh' is supposed to be Canadian? Since when?

Small world, eh? That's an example of something extremely common in the UK. In America it would be "small world, huh?"

Now, I can honestly say the only time I've heard 'eh' in Canada was in a portrayal of someone 'Canadian' or supposedly Canadian. It's mystifying.

The same as 'innit' which similarly I only ever heard by someone in character.

Now, 'awesome' or 'perfect'...that seems to be a Canadian thing for things and situations that are actually quite ordinary.

Dorothy

It's funny, when I was home last Christmas with my daughter (who has a firmly ingrained Australian accent) everyone in my family commented on how Australian I sound. I don't - I was in my 40s when we moved here, so I have never lost my accent. I think it's more that we use Australian slang and idioms. However it didn't take long for #1 daughter and I to fall back into Canadian slang and speech patterns. Within the first week we were laughing about us sounding like hosers and using "eh" at the end of our sentences.

Here in Australia I get mistaken for Irish all the time although I don't know why.

dbd33

I haven't heard the expression "hosers" since Bob and Doug Mackenzie were popular, when was that? 1980 something?

It conjures up everything I dislike about this country, plaid, stupid hats, bags of stinking iced hockey equipment in the office, imitation wood paneled rooms, damp, people who actually drink the domestic beer, Cancon, endless repetition of lame "jokes" based on miniscule differences from people resident in the US.

I suppose only the expression "take off, eh?" has a more visceral impact. "Oh God", my gut cries "not this again".

Gordon Barlow

When I went back to Oz from Canada and Bahamas after several years away, my brother remarked on my American accent. All I'd said was "I guess", and he confused the US usage with the accent. Today I've lost almost all my Aussie accent and all of the slang (hey, fifty-three years away; I'm entitled, right?), strangers usually think I'm English - even English strangers. But when I challenge them to tell me what part of England, they can't. In my book, a "neutral" English accent is a pretty sure sign of a foreigner.

JamesM

Newfy

Partially discharged

I moved to Canada as a 17 year old just as 'hosermania' was hitting. I had moved from a Jam/Gary Numan/Bowie/Japan etc type musical environment to one in which Rush, Loverboy, Triumph, Prism were celebrated as musical messiah's. Hmmm...quite the difference.

Here is something quite cringeworthy.

(great shots of A & A and Sam the Record Man)

Keep in mind that somebody not familiar with 1970's Britain would find Monty Python skits equally embarassing and nonsensical.

I am I said

'panelling' was the height of sophistication for a 'rec room' in the basement! [at least round my way]. Too easy to shoot a puck through it, though, which never went down well with the parents.

I am I said

We had an unfortunate 15 year old immigrant from Kent show up in our south Ontario neighbourhood in the 1970s. Absolutely the worst street hockey player over the age of 4 any of us had ever seen....
He introduced us to the joys of Monty Python, not the 9 oclock news and Blackadder. I found the latter two funny, but mostly struggled with skits like 'how to defend yourself against a man armed with a banana'.
He is still a friend [lord knows why].

JonboyE

Fair enough, but if it is OK for you to rant then surely it is OK for others to respond in kind.

vanity

You should, the comments are full of people telling people to piss off somewhere else.

Thanks for your observations, I'll give it some thought. As to your judgements, it was a whinge after a particularly rough patch. On the whole, I like many many Canadians - in fact, I don't care what nationality they are, I like to take people on face value.

Having said that, it is a fact that I have experienced many cases of people extending themselves and not keeping their word. If you love that, that's good for you. Other people - anyone - observing it is not a devil as a result,

This forum is like its manned with a pack of dogs ready to tear anyone that doesn't fit their way of presenting a story to shreds.

Shame on you all, and my comment to you stands. "Why don't you just piss off then?"

Maybe you should reflect on your own responses and "maturity" too

vanity

They could if they showed a bit of a nuance. Plenty responded in this thread and I responded in kind "Fair enough" "Good points"

Others who think they know the person and their experiences: what a laugh. Get off your high horses.