Walker, Texas Ranger wrote:I lived (or almost lived) with a Canadian guy during one semester, and I would often say "Hey, man!" or "What's up, man?", and I don't think he appreciated it as much as I did. He'd almost look a little bothered sometimes, hehe.
It depends where he came from in Canada. My guess is that he was from Atlantic Canada or the "Far East Coast" where they have their own terms in place of "man" - "hey boy" or "hey boys" (like "hey dudes"). My mom's boss is from Newfoundland, and she says "hey bees" (instead of "hey boys"). I think Cape Breton (the island off Nova Scotia) has a similar way of speaking to Newfoundland...
"Man" isn't really used much at all by native Manitobans (I can't recall hearing many Manitobans use "man" in a sentence). I actually hear things like "hey guys" or "hey dude" more often from Manitobans (Ontario influence, perhaps). "Geeze!" is a popular replacement for "oh, man!" here. "Man" seems most popular amongst British Columbians (at least the ones I know)...I suppose that would follow common logic though -- BC is closer to California.
I'd really like to head out to Atlantic Canada, esp to NB, PEI, NS (Cape Breton esp), NF & Labrador...
It looks like an amazing place.