Sask. English as an Additional Language teacher gives advice on helping new Canadians

You can tap the brakes on your car or go on a break from work; English is a language with a lot of nuance.

With Syrian refugees calling Saskatchewan home, Myrina Rutten-James said it is important people have patience when language barriers come into play. She teaches English as an Additional Language at the University of Regina.

"Often it takes about two years just to become fairly proficient [in English], to be able to do the day-to-day tasks that you need to do," Rutten-James said on CBC's Afternoon Edition.

"But research shows it takes between four and seven years of full-time immersion to really understand the language and be able to use it to the level of certainty that people would like."

• Tutors needed to help teach Regina newcomers English

Learning English can be a very frustrating experience and so you want to be mindful of the larger picture and what it is that you want in the long term.- Myrina Rutten-James, English as an Additional Language teacher

She explained idiomatic expressions like "I'm over the hill" can be very troublesome for people learning the language. Another difficulty is phrasal verbs like "not cut out for" or "puts up with a lot".

It's not just how people use the language that make it difficult to pick up.

"There are so many things that make it complicated for someone to learn a language, their motivation, their goals, access to the second language before they arrive… current life situations," she said.

For people trying to learn English, it's important to recognize that it is a lifelong process.

"It's very difficult to pick up everything you need to learn in a short period of time, they need to be patient with themselves," she said.

"Learning English can be a very frustrating experience and so you want to be mindful of the larger picture and what it is that you want in the long term."

Advice for people interacting with someone new to English.

Rutten-James also had tips for people who already know English but want to converse with new language speakers. 

• Be patient.
• Visuals are helpful.
• Help people in tangible ways like walking them where they need to go rather than giving directions.
• Be thoughtful about the vocabulary you use. Words that are simple to you may not be simple to someone just learning English.
• Try to avoid reductions like "whaddya wanna do". Instead say "what do you want to do?"
• When someone can't understand you, restate what you said in a different way using different words rather than just repeating what you said.
• Have the person you are trying to help restate what you said, instead of saying "do you understand?"
• Ask them specific questions so you can gauge whether or not they understood what you told them.