Montreal
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Ann
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Todd
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Todd: Hello, Ann! How are you doing?
Ann: I'm fine.
Todd: Ann, could you introduce yourself and tell people where you are from?
Ann: Yeah. My name's Ann Hutchingson and I'm from Montreal, Canada. Right now I'm an English teacher in Tokyo, Japan.
Todd: OK. What's Montreal like?
Ann: Montreal is a really nice city. It's just very cold in the wintertime. It is.. it has four seasons and the nicest season is the summertime because it's really warm and people play a lot of sports. Tthere are some parks in Montreal and you can go swimming and hiking and biking and rollerblading. It's a very interesing city.
Todd: Wow! Were you born in Montreal?
Ann: I was born in Montreal and I can speak two languages. English is my first language but I also studied French in high school.
Todd: So, were you in a submersion program, or all your subjects in French.
Ann: No, I went to an English high school but a lot of people in Montreal are in immersion programs.
Todd: OK. Since you learned French, what do you think is the best way to learn a language?
Ann: I think that you have to like learning another language and if you have a positive attitude then you can find learning another language fun rather than stressful so I think that I had a few French friends and we would practice. They would be very patient and I liked the fact that I could communicate using another language because then you have another identity.
Todd: You have your French identity?
Ann: I do.
Todd: OK. So what's your name in French?
Ann: "Mono e Ann"
Todd: Wow! I need to get myself a French name?
Ann: Todd.
Todd: OK. Thanks a lot Ann.
Ann: You're welcome. Nice speaking with you.
rollerblading
You can go swimming, hiking, biking and rollerblading
there.
'Rollerblading' is like skating on wheels. The wheels are placed in a line along the bottom of a boot. Notice the following:
- I go rollerblading a few times a week.
- There is a great path around the lake for rollerblading.
first language
English is my first language, but I also studied French.
Your 'first language' is also called your native language and it is the first language that you learn to speak when you are a child. Notice the following:
- His first language is Italian, but he speaks Spanish and
Portuguese fluently.
- Is English your first language?
submersion / immersion program
A lot of people in Montreal are in immersion programs.
In an 'immersion program' the students are spoken to and must respond only in the language that they are trying to learn. The idea behind this is that they will learn more quickly. Notice the following:
- I was in a 2 week submersion program when I first
arrived in
Guatemala.
- He started the immersion program in kindergarten.
find (something) (adjective)
If you have a positive attitude, you'll find learning
another
language fun rather than stressful.
If you 'find something fun' you think it is fun. How we find something is our opinion of it. Notice the following:
- I found the exam really difficult.
- Did you find the performance a little boring?
another identity
I liked that I could communicate in another language,
because then
you have another identity.
Our identity is who we are. The example says that by learning another language we get to become another person in a way. Notice the following:
- It was the first time that he showed another identity.
- She has completely another identity at work.
Vocabulary Quiz
find the store • identity
