Hey?

Before our move, a lot of people would say “moving to Canada, eh?”  Pat & Audra even had a party with a cake that said "Good Luck, eh?"  We have heard a few ehs here & there but, to our surprise, Saskatonians generally follow their sentences with hey? Vs. eh?. Interesting, hey?   I kind of like it.  But, no, we have not picked it up.  Although, I think I've  occasionally added a huh? for a long time.  I tend to think we fit right in for the most part with our accent, figuring I was asked weekly at work in Champaign if I was from Canada.  But a waitress has said to us “I can’t help but notice your American accent.”  Another store clerk has said, “you're American, that’s awesome!”  So I guess not all people hate Americans.  :) The phrases “Right on” (vs. “ok”) & “No worries” (vs. “it’s alright”) are commonly used, which were also used a lot in New Zealand.  Maybe part of the Queen’s casual English?   

Some pronunciation has made us laugh a bit….process using a long “o,” which you’ve probably heard on the Canadian home shows.  A strong “hawkey” vs. hockey. The Ma in Mazda is like the Ma in mass as opposed to the ma in Mazatlan. Spelling colour, favourite, cheque, tonnes, & I’m sure many others incorrectly may tip us off as non-Canadians.  Other things to get used to…..Celsius, km, and deli items weighed in grams vs lbs.  (I panicked a minute the first time at the deli & just said “I’ll take what you have cut there”).   

It’s also fun that a lot of the food products have English & French labels, some have both & others have one or the other.  I’m actually quite surprised the U.S. doesn’t have both English & Spanish on the labels.  Maybe they do in the states closest to Mexico.

Note the French translation of a German word.