Chapter I, Part 1

The English used in most of our units is Canadian English. When you listen you will hear the thoughts
and feelings of Canadians.
By listening to the interviews you can gain a small amount of Canadian experience. If you become
familiar with Canadian experience you will gain a feeling for life in Canada. This will help you improve
your English. When you study English, or any other language, you must learn the whole context of
the language. It is not just words and rules of grammar. It is phrases, sentences, paragraphs and a
broader context of living and thinking a new language that you must learn.
That is what we try to teach in this system. To improve your ability in a new language it is important to
gain an understanding of the culture of the new language. If you are a foreign student studying
English in Canada your studies will go much better if you gain Canadian experience and make
Canadian friends. If you just stay with friends from your native country, your English will not improve
very much.
The same is true for immigrants to Canada. When you go for a job interview you can expect the
question "Do you have Canadian experience?". If you are new to this country you obviously do not
have Canadian experience. If you do not have Canadian experience you may not get the job. It
seems unfair. How can you get Canadian experience if you cannot get a job first? It is necessary to
understand the reason why the employer asks this question. What is the employer really asking? I
think the question really means the following. Will you fit in to our work place? Will you be able to get
along with co-workers, suppliers and customers? Do you understand Canadian culture? I once asked
a Manager at a large manufacturing company if he hired recent immigrants as engineers and
technicians. He replied that his company used to hire the people with the best qualifications.
These people were often foreign trained or recent immigrants.However, his company has stopped
doing this. Now they hire people whom they think will get along well with others in the company. He
explained that when they hired foreign trained engineers these people had trouble communicating
with the factory workers. The engineers and workers could not work together well to find solutions to
problems. So they no longer hire these kinds of people. They get better results now when they hire
people with the ability to get along. I have heard the same comments from other industries and
professions.
Chapter I, Part 2
The Business Council of British Columbia did a survey of their members to find out what employers
are looking for when they hire new employees. The results were as follows:

1. Communication skills
a. Speak, read, write, listen (hear what is said)
b. Use appropriate body language
c. Good team work and interpersonal skills
2. Positive attitude
a. Give support and constructive feedback
3. Flexible and adaptable
4. High performance standards
5. Good work ethic a Works hard and produces useful out comes
6. Sense of responsibility
a. Accepts responsibility for assigned work and actions
7. Productive-quality and quantity
8. Honest and reliable
9. Willing to keep on learning
10. Ability to analyze and evaluate
11. Common sense
12. Creativity
13. Intelligence
14. Education
15. High energy
It is obvious that to do well at work it is important to understand the local culture. Cultural factors are
more important than qualities like intelligence or education. Therefore the question "Do you have
Canadian experience?" really means can you communicate well, will you understand what people
expect of you, can you get your meaning and ideas across in a positive way, can you interact with
others to find solutions, can you persuade others? How do you acquire this cultural ability?

Many people put their effort into studying for English tests likeTOEFL and TOEIC. This is not the best
way to learn a language.It is not possible to learn a language by studying the techniquesof a test.
You can not learn a language by studying the techniques of the language. You must learn the whole
context. You must hear and read the phrases over and over again. You must understand the
background of the language and the culture and learn to use the language in real life.
By following The Linguist program you will:
Improve your English language skills
Gain an understanding of how Canadian society works
Gain confidence in dealing with Canadians or other English speakers, since you understand them
better
Become a better communicator and team player in English
So what is Canadian culture?
Culture is a term used to describe how people live with eachother in a certain place and time.
Chapter I, Part 3
Language is a big part of culture. In much of Canada English is the common language. The term
culture describes many things. It is not just language or art or music or food or clothing. It is not just
what people read or listen to on the radio or watch on television. It is also what makes people laugh,
the jokes they tell each other. It is what brings joy to families and individuals. It is in part their
common history and also new trends. It is how they have fun at parties or how they spend their
leisure time. It is the sports they play and watch. It is how they tease each other and why they get
serious. It includes their economic life and their attitudes towards public affairs. Common values are
also part of the culture of the majority of people. All of these kinds of things and more make up
culture.Even though each Canadian person is different, still there are many things that are shared.
There is a feeling of a common culture and belonging together. Like any culture, Canadian culture
has many values, some opposed to each other. Nobody accepts all the values of a society. Some
people are religious, some are not; some people are hard working and some are lazy; some people
like books and some like to watch television.
Canadians are not so different from Americans or other people living in a modern secular society.
Canadians are some what mild and conservative. They are attached to their country and to the few
traditions that Canada has developed over its short history.

Chapter II, Part 1

Canadian history
The first Canadians were the native Indians who came from Asia over 10,000 years ago. They were
fishers, hunters and farmers. They developed different cultures in different areas. In Central America

these people developed one of the most famous independent centres of world civilization, with
science, writing and advanced construction techniques. Scientists now believe there were different
waves of settlement from Asia which spread out over the American continent. That is why there are
different language groups in different areas. There may have been other visitors to North America
over the centuries but we do not know for sure.
The first known European visitors were the Vikings roughly 1,000years ago. Because of wars and
pressure on the land, some Vikings had left Europe and settled in Iceland. For the same reasons
they moved on to Greenland. The world was warmer at that time, other wise Greenland would not
have been called Greenland. From there the Vikings went further west and stopped on the east coast
of Canada. They found nature there to be very pleasant, green and rich. They fought with the local
natives, some of their people were killed and therefore they left and returned to Iceland.
Western Europeans were fishing off the east coast of Canada inthe 16th century. Eventually French
and English people started settling as farmers and fur traders all along the Atlantic Coast of North
America. Wars between European powers like France, England, Spain and Holland affected
developments in North America. In 1763 England defeated France at the battle of Quebec and this
meant that Canada became English instead of French. At that time most Europeans in Canada were
French speakers. This now started to change. In 1776 the American War of Independence took
place. A new nation was created. The United States. Many people living in the new United States
wanted to remain a part of the British Empire. Many tens of thousands of people moved north to
Canada. These were the United Empire Loyalists. This was the first large scale movement of English
speaking people into Canada. These people were really Americans and they determined how
Canadians would speak English. These people wanted to remain loyal to the King of England. During
the 19th century there was major immigration from Great Britain to Canada. Much of this immigration
was from Scotland and Northern Ireland. As a result Canada was very closely attached to the British
Empire.

Chapter II, Part 2

Canadians fought in both World Wars. When peace came at theend of the second world war, Canada
was an important middle level military power. Many Canadians died in both world wars. English
Canadians were especially willing to support Great Britain since they felt themselves part of a vast
international community called the British Empire. Ties with Great Britain were very close. French
Canadians always felt themselves to be a society apart, like a separate nation with in Canada. On
important national issues the French Canadians often voted against policies that English Canadians
favoured. Some how the government and Prime Minister of the day have been able to find ways to
reach agreement and keep the country together.
In the last 50 years there has been a great deal of immigration from many different countries, and
from all major continents. The relationship to Great Britain is no longer as close as it once was for
many Canadians. Yet the British influence is evident in Canada`s laws, legal and court system,
politics, and general culture. People of all origins are proud of Canada`s history and the relationship
with Great Britain which is one of the foundations of Canada.

Geography
Canada is the second largest country in the world. In most of Canada there are clear differences
between the seasons. The summers can be very warm and humid in Eastern Canada. In Autumn,
starting in September, the temperatures become cool. The leaves in the forest turn red, yellow and
orange. By November most of these leaves are gone and the snow starts to fall. The Winter in
Canada is cold and white. Winter can start in November and continue until March or April. In some
areas in Northern Canada the winter is even longer and colder. On the Pacific Coast the weather is
milder. There is very little snow in Vancouver for example.
Spring is short in much of Canada. Suddenly the days are longer.The warm sun melts the snow quite
quickly. Soon the first flowers are out in a full range of colours. Children are so happy to be able to
run and play out doors after the long cold winter with its short dark days. Soon summer comes.
Sports
During the summer time Canadians love to go to the many blue lakes in the country. Canadians love
to swim in the lakes, to go in boats, to water ski, to fish and do many other things in nature when the
weather is warm and pleasant.

Chapter II, Part 3

In summer children like to play team sports like soccer and baseball. In the Fall football and rugby are
more popular with boys. The hockey season begins in the Autumn. Many team sports are highly
organized for children, perhaps too highly organized.
Individual sports like tennis and golf are also popular. In much of Canada these sports can only be
practiced for half of the year because of the weather. Recently there has been an increase in door
tennis.
All Canadians love to watch professional sports on television. Hockey is the most popular sport.
Hockey is Canada`s national game. There was much national excitement when Canada won two
gold medals in hockey at the Winter Olympic Games.

Education
Canadian children must go to school. Many Canadians also go toUniversity. Today, with the
importance of new industries, like thein formation industry, it is necessary to have a good education
to get a good job. Most Canadians spend at least 12 years in the official education system. Many
people study even longer to get specialized education. Even with specialized degrees, it is still very
important to be able to speak and write clearly in English. Many teachers complain that English
standards are getting worse.

The easiest way to make sure that you keep a good level of English is to read on a wide variety of
subjects. You should read about subjects of interest to you. If you read a lot you will have an
advantage over other people when you go to look for work.
Work and the community
To be successful in the work place you must gain the trust and support of your fellow workers. That is
the most important key to success. If you are modest and helpful and if you always do more than you
promise, your fellow workers, customers and suppliers will appreciate you. If you do the opposite,
people will no longer trust you or believe in you.
It is helpful to know something about what interests your fellow workers. That is why you should read
the local newspapers and follow local events. You should participate in school activities and other
community activities. Being active in the general community will help you gain Canadian experience
and make you better accepted at work.
We expect that our program will give you some Canadian experience and make your task of learning
English more pleasant.