Like any language, English has many variations in vocabulary, spelling and pronunciation. The differences can be regional or even exist within the same city! As a Canadian who lives in Vancouver, I have always known these differences, but I didn’t get to experience them firsthand until I began attending an American university.

I found that there are some Canadian words that people in the US just don’t understand like “tuque”, which is a warm, knitted hat. My friends tease me every time I use the “washroom,” as the word isn’t used in the US—“bathroom”, “toilet” and “restroom” are often used instead. In a similar way, when I asked my friend what marks he got on his test, he gave me a confused look. People in the US only say “grades”.

Though certain Canadian expressions sound very different from our North American neighbor, they share the same original language because both served as colonies(殖民地) of the former British Empire. This cultural heritage survives through speech and language.

Unlike American English, most Canadian spellings are similar to the British words. In the US, words like “harbour” and “colour” are spelled without the “u”. Even so, some words changed in Canada, like “aluminum”. British people spell and pronounce this word as “aluminium”.

As a result, Canadian English has developed an identity of its own. For example, we cannot forget the most important word in Canadian English: sorry. While it isn’t really the most important word, Canadians have a reputation for being polite and friendly. I want to preserve that reputation and honor my Canadian roots, even while I’m in the United States.

“Language brings with it an identity and a culture…,” wrote South African comedian Trevor Noah in his book, Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Child. “A language barrier says ‘We’re different.’ A shared language says ‘We’re the same’.”

Tips to Learn Any Foreign Language

Know your motivation

It might sound obvious. But if you don’t have a good reason to learn a language, you are less likely to stay motivated in the long run. But wanting to impress Chinese-speakers with your English isn’t the best reason. 【小题1】. No matter what your motivation is, once you’ve decided on a language, it’s vital to commit.

【小题2】

The key to learning as quickly as a child may be simply to take on certain childlike attitudes: a desire to play in the language and a willingness to make mistakes. It means being ready to put yourself in potentially embarrassing situations. 【小题3】 But it’s the only way to develop and improve your foreign language.

Have fun with it

Think of some fun ways to practise your new language: make a radio play with a friend, draw a comic picture, write a poem or simply practise by listening and copying songs. 【小题4】 _, chances are that you are going to give up eventually!

We have one more language-learning tip before we go. Remember that the best possible outcome of speaking a language is communicating with others. Being able to have a simple conversation is a huge reward in itself. Reaching milestones like that early on will make it easier to stay motivated and keep practising. And don’t worry about your current speaking ability! 【小题5】, if you begin any interaction with “I have just started to learn this language and I’d like to practise with you.”

Misadventures in English

Last week, our forum asked if you had any funny or strange stories about using English. We didn’t expect to get so many posts. Here are some of our favourites, to remind us that some of the English we learn in the classroom is rather different from the English in the outside world!

Yancy: People say that the British always play safe with what they eat. Not true! I went to a summer school in Manchester and my English teacher was called Maggie. One day, a different teacher took our class. He told us that Maggie couldn’t teach that day COZ she had a frog in her throat. Poor Maggie—but why did she try to eat such a big frog?

Sophie: When I first visited New York, I went to a downtown shopping centre to buy some winter boots. At the information desk at the entrance, I asked a lady where the shoe section was. She said that it was on the first floor. So I went up to the first floor, but couldn’t find any shoes. I decided to leave. When I was looking for the exit, I saw that shoes were actually sold downstairs on the ground floor, not the first floor. Why did she give me the wrong information？

Julien: I’ve got an English penfriend, who I finally got to meet in London this summer. He had told me that his grandfather was “really wicked”. But when I met his grandfather, I liked him a lot. I found it very odd. Why did my friend use a negative word about such a nice man?

Zheng Xu: The British must have really high standards. I was part of a student exchange programme between a university in England and my university in China. I spent days preparing and writing my first English paper. I knew I had done a good job and was looking forward to getting a positive comment. When I got the paper back, I found my teacher had written the comment “Not bad!” Not bad? But there weren’t any errors in my paper.