canada. After decades of promise and many billions of research dollars, the buzz is becoming overwhelming in the heady world of physics and fusion research. Scientists in California are close to achieving the first “burn” of a hydrogen fuel pellet that — within a year or two — will likely prove to the world the process that powers the sun can technically become Earth’s future source of inexhaustible energy. But in the rush to find that holy grail of self-sustaining, enviornmentally clean nuclear fusion, there are fears that Canada in general and Alberta in particular could be left in the dust in terms of research. Classifieds HomeObituariesAnnouncementsVehiclesReal EstateRentalsJobsPetsFor SaleShoppingPlace an AdFlyerCity Don't miss: Flu shot shortage Trip to Mars Senior snowed in $12. Edmonton’s Chinatown. It isn’t hard for Chinese immigrants to find Mandarin speakers in Edmonton. Photograph by: Larry Wong , Edmonton JournalEDMONTON -- Instead of losing 10 pounds or spending less money, consider making it your belated New Year’s resolution to strike up more conversations with Edmonton newcomers whose first language isn’t English. A University of Alberta study shows that Chinese immigrants to Canada find it much more difficult than Slavic immigrants to improve their oral English skills in the years after they arrive, both for cultural and social reasons. The study, done in conjunction with Simon Fraser University, compared the oral language developments in the two groups of Edmonton immigrants over a seven-year period. “Linguistically, the Slavic group ... continued to become more fluent; they became easier to understand,” said Tracey Derwing, a professor of educational psychology at the U of A who co-authored the study. “The Mandarin language group didn’t fare as well. Their oral language skills at Year 7 were no better than when they left their ESL program. And a couple of people actually got worse. Each study group consisted of 25 well-educated newcomers in their 30s who’d just arrived in Canada and were taking an English as a Second Language class in Edmonton. Both groups had studied written English in their home countries but had little experience with speaking and listening. The immigrants’ oral English was assessed at the start of the study, then reassessed after two years and seven years. Researchers recorded speech samples, then had listeners (both native English speakers and highly proficient bilinguals) rank the audio clips for comprehensibility, fluency and accent. The Slavs in the study were more assertive about making small talk with English speakers, Derwing said. “They’d find it scary to strike up a conversation with a stranger, but they’d force themselves to do it because they knew they had to. Mandarin speakers, by contrast, “would wait for someone else to initiate the conversation. They tended to be more reticent. But that’s hard. If you’re a newcomer you have to push yourself on others. But what made the Slavs more confident? It may be they share more cultural common ground with Canadians, Derwing said. She cited hockey as an example. “It might sound trite, but hockey is also something Russians are familiar with. If you want to try to start up a conversation with someone, that’s the way to go. “Another (Slavic) participant said he really finds it’s easy to talk to Canadians because he loves to complain about politicians and that’s a popular Canadian pastime. Culturally, she said, Mandarin speakers in Edmonton were more disadvantaged when learning to speak English, in part because it isn’t hard find other Mandarin speakers. “The Chinese community is quite a bit tighter than the Russian community. Subtle racial discrimination could be at play, too, Derwing said, since the Slavic participants were all white. A native English speaker “might strike up a conversation with a Russian not knowing they didn’t speak English,” giving the Russian more opportunities to practise. The Mandarin participants in particular said it was hard to find native speakers to practise with. One Chinese couple told Derwing they’d gone to a church in the hopes of finding people to make conversation with them in English. “The wife said to me, ‘I wish I knew how to find native speakers to talk to. The study shows how important it is for native Canadians to make the effort to engage with second-language learners who’ve immigrated here and very much want to be productive, engaged members of society, Derwing said, stressing the importance of engaging with them in the workplace. “We’re talking about people who are bright, intelligent, contributing and paying taxes, but they have a harder time engaging socially. Perhaps unsurprisingly, more of the Slavs in the study stuck it out in Canada over the seven years, while many of the Chinese participants returned to their home country. “The drop-off in Mandarin speakers is really indicative that it was harder for them,” Derwing said. Slavic and Mandarin speakers were picked for the study because they were among the larger groups immigrating to Edmonton in 2001, when the study began. ewithey@edmontonjournal. PreviousNext Edmonton’s Chinatown. It isn’t hard for Chinese immigrants to find Mandarin speakers in Edmonton.Photograph by: Larry Wong, Edmonton Journal E-mail this GalleryPrint this GalleryShare this Gallery Photo Galleries » More Photo GalleriesJan. 4: Snowbound and starbursts...Edmontonians fish, cycle, ride, lick, pose, build, ...more » Oilers grounded by DucksThe Oilers looked like they were going to give the...more » Paulina Gretzky takes in some ...Paulina Gretzky supported her fiance Dustin Johnson... When news breaks in Edmonton and beyond, be the first to know by signing up for our breaking news email alerts. Our staff will keep you ahead of the curve on big news stories and events. In a sign of the times, Canadians' aspirations for growth in 2014 are more financial than personal, ... Pantone sets a positive mood for 2014 with a pop of purple. Comments () Inside Edmonton Journal Jan. Gallery: Contemporary family residence, West Vancouver -- $3. $12. Flyercity. canada.com LogoAbout canada.comPrivacy StatementTermsCopyright & Permissions© 2010 - 2014 Postmedia Network Inc. All rights reserved. Unauthorized distribution, transmission or republication strictly prohibited. Omni paint onlain Natural health centre birmingham Funny truth questions to ask a guy Cure for almoranas David bromstad father Unclaimed funds maine Marry me pretty ricky lyrics Nhl conferences 2014 Hentai princess peach Tmalcolm x glasses frames Sample discharge summary mental health Tampon stuck pics Chinese shed designs Cute bets to have with your boyfriendute bets Birthday chair cover Male examination in stirrups video Forever 21 playlist How to make bracelets with 4 strings for guys Clay soldier mod for kindle fire pocket edition Medial z words Newest phones coming out 2013 Acura map update coupon I was feminized at a hair salon Character reference letter from father Urethral play becoming popular Does adderall kill brain cells Bitchy quotes to ex best friends X-cargo sport 20 car top carrier replacement key Chip a viewing card Muscular system coloring H extremo Girl chudai by his brother videos Back pain with implantation Free roofing templates Jesus face for paper bag puppets First grade subtraction touch math printable worksheets Apa style cover sheet Drag racing rp & money app Formal financial letter Local host east administrive Bad back no appetite Realidades level a 1 answersealidades level a 1 a Mitchell 499 reel Authority letter for car sale Male coupon ideas Excel weekly college schedule Www rachel ray upskirts.com Bur oak tree for sale Memutihkan kulit muka Aq special codes Design v necks online Fuel alcohol diesel Can t fall asleep adderall Model model dreamweaver perfect 4 human hair weave ripple deep Unlock poker governor of Pharmacology quiz for medical assistants Capricorn man scorpio woman marriage Risk taking alcohol Moms daughter tribbing Will adderall show up as pcp Promotion codes for eharmony new members [describe your career goal or ideal job.] Auction items gift certificate template Menstrual blood growing plants Interactive whiteboard our 5 senses Food lovers fat loss program download Dade county doc offender search Can you take oxycodone with orange juice Percy jackson truth or dare Bme pain olympic original video Moshi mosnters time card code genorater Play mr.cashman slots free online Pro ana how to lose weight quickly Maldi ltq orbitrap Aztec symbol for friendshipztec symbol for fr American ammo problems Fruit town piru Zoloft lexapro side effects What is the proper size to email a picture Jack off emoticon Facebook ascii art hand Concelaed gun rack plans Rhino bush hog price Thow to give formal warning to employee Example of a outline on should abortion be legal Kadian 20 mg vs norco Hijos follandose a sus padres Fema is 240 answers Sitting cameltoe pics High blood pressureear pain Army marching cadence lyrics Canadian airsfot sniper rifles Back hurts after i eat Kambi katha pdf Jfk jr autopsy pictures Sample birthday wishes to a boyfriend Kappa alpha rituals Check engine light flashing 2001 pathfinder Adult health nursing neuro exam Tummy tuck belt at walmart Tlife coaching action plan template Can you take ibuprofen while on vyvanse Homemade jerking tumblr No credit check refund anticipation loans. Meet n fuck bdsm Fantasy football dallas cowboys names Demand letter car accident Parallax lcd screen Anniversary quotes for my boyfriendnniversary phrases for my b Fatalities by age group by alcohol Semantic mapping software Free medical records specialist resume templates Sample letter of intent for internal job postingample letter of intent for Tcyclobenzaprine hydrochloride 5 mg Can you shoot flexeril Celeb hard ons Minster of music appreciation The timeline of johnny tremain Cartoon emotion collage Explanation of punnett square worksheet Maquinaria usada caterpillar Regal cinemas application employment Adult female bullies 4 sale Minnie mouse party invitation templates Free zapfino font for adobe photoshop Ballade adeline sheet Aikman house true story Garage door on autocad Cube field hacked Dad first panty girdles Adobe reader via ota Netflix free login Reading a paychex pay stub Replacement canopy swing seat Free mobile danish porn Mit information retrieval Batman symbol using a keyboard Buy xanax us pharmacy Examples of repeated diction in the gettysburg address Video of lethal injectionideo of le Kumpulan cerita sedarah Mary j. szczepanski never give up ms scholarship foundation Free prediction worksheets 6th grade Financial aid denial What software will decrypt cinavia protection Guetto gaggesruetto gaggesr Folic acid camp activation Fossil fighters champions all vivosaurs action replay codes Enterprise car rental discount codes and coupons Aurora trading s.a iraq Cursive bubble letter generatorursive buble generator Codes for millsberry healthy farms Buy discount diflucan Authorized windows xp product key Partes internas de computadora Deleting a fling account Cheerleading formations for 18heerleading formations for Calendar 2013 printable attendance Caught looking at camel toe Event planning business proposal template Sagittarius man cancer woman famous couplesamous sagittarius Lake forest park jobs Google chrome standalone installer Cute album names for college What to put in a college survival kit Diagram central air conditioner New tengo irish lotto bingo ladbrokes Ultra sound pictures Petland in ohio Moms taking it vids Crochet football helmet patterns Price oil russia Honolulu naru massage Not my dog toronto Caught sister knotted with dog Porch post in ontario Give an example of a couplet written by ogden nash Mens staminol rapid surge review 3355 points calculater Coastal flats nutrition guide How to style a stacked bob Jerking she watches Fountas and pinnell reading levels common core correlation Writing vocabulary test for level e How to dress corn on cob Safety tape australia Business apology letter samples Free knittedpapoose snuggle bug patterns Program php database hotel yang sederhana Ashley charm school stripping Account livejasmin Kindle adobe flash player problems A little trouble breathing and stomach hurting Steal the dimond 2 for free for kindle fire at app store America football formation templates Aerie job application print How to make a joint out of symbols on keyboard How to make a gun with a keyboard How to play honeycomb bingo Ladyhawke mp3 free
留言列表
