eh English · revision 6685

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=onomatopoeia|attested=1567}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /eɪ/, /ɛ/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is a natural exclamation;^(SOED 2002)^(NODE 1998) SOED compares the earlier interjection ay,^(SOED 2002) and MWU traces it to Middle English ey.^(MWU 2024)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ An exclamation of sorrow: 1567 in the OED, the 1560s in Etymonline, a sense found only in the mid-16th century.^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline)^(SOED 2002)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ As an interrogative particle, inviting agreement or adding emphasis to a statement, it is from 1773.^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline) As a request for something to be repeated or explained, ''Eh? What did you say?'', it is from 1837.^(OED 1989)^(Collins 2023) A verb, to say ''eh'', is from 1824.^(OED 1989) In northern English and Scots dialect eh was an exclamation of surprise or sorrow.^(Wright 1898) The tag ''eh?'' at the end of a sentence is associated especially with Canadian English.^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1567 – an exclamation of sorrow.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1773 – inviting assent.^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline)

+ * 1837 – asking for repetition.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Interjection===

+ # Used to ask for something to be repeated or explained.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # Used at the end of a statement to invite agreement or express surprise.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[huh]]

+ * [[ah]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}