[Vision2020] Aboot?

[Kai Eiselein, Editor]

Ralph, would you pleeeease explain the use, or non-use rather, of "eh" to my Uncle Danny in Port Coquitlam, B.C.? He apparently missed that memo and says "eh" incessantly.
In my experience, with my family, "about" does have a slight "oo" sound to it, not much, but it is there. Perhaps it's a vestige of our Scots ancestry? We are McKenzies.
My step-grandfather, Cecil, was from Alberta and didn't use "eh" nor did he pronounce "ou" as "oo". But he could curse in French and make it sound like a sonnet :)

The following is a snippet from an article in the Campbell River Mirror, owned by Black Press Group, Ltd.:
"The walls were also filled with three huge memorial banners where mourners had written messages to Smith and his family in colourful ink."

Canada's a big place, it has it's own colloquialisms, ever tried to understand what a "Newfie"  was saying?

--------------------------------------------------
From: "Ralph Nielsen" <NIELSEN at uidaho.edu>
Sent: Tuesday, June 10, 2008 9:58 PM
To: "Vision 2020" <Vision2020 at moscow.com>
Subject: [Vision2020] Aboot?

> Many Americans have weird ideas about Canada. Canadians do not say  
> "aboot" or "oot" or "hoos" or "moos." They say "about," "out,"  
> "house," and "mouse" like everyone else. It's only in some parts of  
> Scotland where they speak like this.
> 
> The last letter of the alphabet is "zed" in all of the English- 
> speaking world except the U.S.
> 
> The rather affected British "-our" ending of "-or" words, like  
> "colour" and "harbour" was abandoned by the Canadian everyday press  
> years ago.
> 
> The much-discussed "eh?" was apparently made popular by a Canadian TV  
> comedy program about 40 years ago. It was not unknown before then and  
> is not over-used today.
> 
> I'll let you in on an unmistakable Canadianism in common use today.  
> They invariably say "lineup" where we say "line" and the British say  
> "queue."
> 
> Now you're cued in.
> 
> Ralph
> 
> 
> Tom Ivie the_ivies3 at yahoo.com
> Tue Jun 10 16:13:27 PDT 2008
> 
> Don't forget "aboot" instead of about.
> 
> 
> "Kai Eiselein, Editor" <editor at lataheagle.com> wrote: [snip]
> 
> But, if you REALLY want to go, Tom, there are some things you need to  
> know.
> First, it's "Eh", not "ay"
> Second, the last letter of the alphabet is not "zee", it is "zed".
> Third, you'll need to relearn how to spell words like color and harbor.
> Me, I'll warn my family to buy plenty of cheese and crackers if you  
> show up.
> 
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Kai Eiselein
Editor, Latah Eagle
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