話匣子英語(yǔ):多元文化
Maura: Right. But before we get started, I want to say, if my voice sounds a bit strange, I have a bit of a frog in my throat. I’ve been sick off and on a lot this winter. I hope it goes away soon.
Harp: I hope so too.
Maura: Yeah, I don’t like it. So if you have any secret remedies, let me know. All right, so today we’re going to talk about…
Harp: Multiculturalism.
Maura: And this topic was suggested to us by one of our listeners, and he was curious about multiculturalism in Canada and, really, what is it like here? And how does it work? And he wanted to know about it, so we’re going to chat about that.
Harp: Yup. We’re gonna start with talking about our own identities and then we’re gonna talk about different cultures in Canada.
Maura: Right. And kind of the policy of multiculturalism that we have here.
Harp: Exactly.
Maura: So first we’re gonna talk about ourselves, because Harp and I are both Canadian, but like most Canadians, we have a family background. And many Canadians have different stories.
Harp: Yup. Maura, what’s your family background? Tell us your story.
Maura: Well, my father’s side of my family is originally from Ireland. Now, as far as I know, it was a few hundred years ago that my relatives came to Canada.
Harp: Oh wow, a long time.
Maura: Yeah.
Harp: For Canadian standards.
Maura: Yeah. It’s true though, because not many Canadians have families that have been in Canada for that long and it’s funny for other people because maybe a few hundred years doesn’t seem like a long time but like you said, Harp, by Canadian standards it’s long.
Harp: Yeah, definitely. Canada is a new country, so…
Maura: Right. Of course, the Natives who were here before any of the Europeans or people from any of the other countries, they’ve been here the longest. But, like I said, my dad’s family came from Ireland a few hundred years ago and my dad’s family is actually from Prince Edward Island, which is on the East Coast of Canada and it’s a very, very small province. It’s a little island and people might know it because of Anne of Green Gables. That’s a famous story.
Harp: Yeah. So your dad’s family came from Ireland and settled in Prince Edward Island?
Maura: Yep.
