Multiculturalism concepts

• Polls show that the majority of Americans and Canadians are in favor of multiculturalism.

institute

• To establish or to start something.
• The European Economic Union has instituted new rules about working throughout Europe, making it more difficult for non-European citizens to get a permit.

integration

• The process of mixing two or more things or groups in a society.
• The integration of women into the army has gone smoothly.

irrational

• Not based on reason or clear thinking.
• An irrational fear of heights prevents someone from going above the third floor in a building.

massacre

• The killing of a large number of people who are often defenseless.
• The massacre of Native Americans is a dark part of U.S. history.

merit

• The quality of being good; deserving praise.
• A manager may evaluate employees based on accomplishments.

remedy

• To find a solution to a problem or difficulty.
• City leaders are working to remedy the recent increase in crime.

resistant

• To be opposed or reluctant to do something.
• Lawmakers are resistant to changing citizenship rules.

sanctions

• An official action taken by a government to force another government to behave in a particular way.
• International sanctions had a negative effect on the South African economy.

secular

• Not having any connection with religion.
• Turkey is an Islamic country and the Turkish government is secular.

stereotype

• A fixed idea, usually wrong, about a group of people based on gender, age, race, or economic background.
• Some Australians held the stereotype that native people were lazy and incapable of learning skilled work.

stratification

• An arrangement of something in a series of layers.
• Social stratification is defined as the unequal positions in society based on wealth and power.
• It is possible to move from a lower level to a higher level in some countries, but it is more difficult in others.

stringent

• Extremely limiting or difficult.
• The rules to leave the country to work elsewhere are so stringent that many people give up trying.

accomplish

• To do or finish something successfully.
• "I have set goals and now I am working to accomplish them."

accomplishment

• Something that is successful after a lot of hard work.
• Graduating from university at the age of 16 was an amazing accomplishment.

acquisition

• The act of obtaining or beginning to have something.
• The acquisition of a second language requires hard work and time.
• Acquire: To obtain or start to have something, like acquiring a love for animals as a young child.

auditory

• Related to hearing.
• A stroke affected her auditory ability, but she was still able to see.

decipher

• To figure out the hidden meaning of something.
• Scientists can decipher ancient symbols using new X-ray technology.

distinction

• The difference between two things that are quite similar.
• It is more difficult for adults to hear a clear distinction between two similar sounds than it is for young children.

expose

• To create conditions that allow someone to have the opportunity to learn something new.
• Students are exposed to new ideas and experiences when they go to university.
• Exposure is the conditions that allow an opportunity to learn something new.
  • Vocabulary is related to a child's exposure to books at a very young age.

extraordinary

• Remarkable; amazing.
• The six-year-old child's ability to play classical piano was extraordinary.

fetus

• A baby before it is born.
• Research shows that a fetus learns how to recognize its mother's voice.

novel

• New and original; not seen before.
• The architect was known for his novel approach to design.

perceive

• To notice something based on sight or sound.
• It was amazing that the baby could perceive differences between sounds even at such a very young age.
• Perception: An awareness of things through physical senses.
  • A child who had difficulty with auditory perception of words was introduced to more visual aids to help him learn to read.

prosperous

• Financially successful; wealthy.
• Five years after its launch, the software business was so prosperous that it was able to expand into new markets.

reproduce

• To copy.
• Some animals have learned to reproduce the sounds of human language.

retain

• To keep or continue to have something.
• A doctor noted that while a father could retain some information, he had trouble remembering people's names.
• Retentionis the ability to keep or continue to have something.
  • Retention of a second language is more probable when a child is exposed to that language at a young age.

session

• A period of time for a particular activity.
• The musicians met at a studio and began their recording session.

utilize

• To use something effectively; to make use of something.
• The Internet allows us to utilize information from libraries all over the world.

abuse

• To treat someone very badly.
• The parents abused their son so severely that he was removed from the home and sent to live with his grandparents.

approximate

• Almost the same; not quite exact.
• The approximate number of international students studying in this city is around two and a half thousand.

attain

• To achieve or obtain something difficult.
• Children learning a second language attain better pronunciation than adults learning a new language.

catch up

• To reach the same place or standard as someone else.
• The student missed a lot of class due to illness, but she was able to catch up quite quickly with the other students.

conflicting

• Opposing.
• In a court, the two sides introduce conflicting arguments and evidence, and the jury and judge must decide which is the truth.

counterexample

• An example arguing against a generalization.
• The belief that children who are exposed to reading at a very young age become more competent readers has many counterexamples.

dispute

• An argument.
• There has been a long dispute among experts as to the influence of environment versus nature upon behavior.

extend

• To reach; stretch.
• The meeting was supposed to end at five, but it extended into late evening because the managers could not agree on the new policy.

feral

• Wild.
• The feral cat population is growing, and the city is trying to come up with solutions to deal with this.

fundamental

• The most basic or important thing on which other things depend.
• Scientists argue that we need to make fundamental changes in how we approach the production and use of energy.

hypothesis

• An idea based on facts but not yet tested.
• The scientist presented his hypothesis and then proceeded to present evidence proving that it worked.

implication

• A possible effect.
• Some argue that the relatively low percentage of students studying a second language in the United States will have serious implications for the country's economic future.

in the long run

• Eventually; extending over a period of time.
• Many teachers find that although intelligence is an obvious factor in academic success, in the long run, hard work is of equal importance.

mastery

• The complete control or understanding of something.
• My niece is being raised bilingual and her mastery of both Dutch and English is amazing.

observation

• Information resulting from a scientific study.
• Scientists studying how babies acquire language noted that a very young baby can recognize the sound of its mother's voice.

overtake

• To go past someone or something.
• The student began at a disadvantage, but due to hard work and diligence, he quickly overtook other students in his French class.

phenomenon

• Something that is experienced or felt, especially because it is unusual.
• The students discussed the effect language has on a person's view of the world, and then were asked to write an essay on this phenomenon.

precise

• Exact; accurate.
• Although the science is not yet precise, scientists are getting a much better understanding of how infectious diseases pass from one person to another.

presumably

• Most likely.
• Presumably, children who begin to learn a second language at a young age and who maintain exposure to this language will retain it more effectively than children who begin to study a second language at a later age.

proponent

• A supporter of something.
• Advocates of bilingual education argue that this approach allows a student to become proficient in the target language while maintaining other studies like math and science.

scholar

• A person with great knowledge about a particular subject.
• Scholars who study language acquisition argue that often too much emphasis is placed on grammar and writing and not enough on speaking and listening.

species

• A group of animals or plants that have the same characteristics.
• Experts have found that a baby bird learns to reproduce specific sounds of its particular species.

stimulation

• Something that causes another thing or person to become more active.
• Children need to be exposed to lots of new ideas and subjects, which can provide intellectual stimulation.

superior

• Better than others.
• Although adults can acquire a second language, children seem to have a superior ability in attaining accurate pronunciation.

visual

• Relating to sight I am a visual learner.
• Understand better through reading rather than listening.

breakdown

• A failure.
• The breakdown in talks between management and workers means there is probably going to be a strike.

call for

• To need or require something.
• The economics course called for an understanding of mathematical concepts.