Why do sparkles make a sound in English?

Mateja Hendrih,Stela Letica Krevelj

doi:10.29162/jez.2019.16

Abstract

Due to their features of multi-modal presentation and their abundance in terms of availability and diversity, the media have been assumed to have a distinct effect on second language acquisition (SLA). Although their beneficial effect on overall SLA has been found in various studies, very few of them examined the characteristics of different types of media in relation to how they may influence second language (L2) vocabulary acquisition at an early age. We present a case study of a 9-year-old Croatian girl who had achieved high competence in the English language primarily through exposure to television (TV) content in English. We examined her production for the evidence that some features of television as a medium might have influenced the development of her vocabulary and the way she experienced and used the L2. The production data was collected in a series of unstructured conversations in the informal atmosphere of the participant’s home. Additional data on the participant’s language learning background were collected in interviews with the participant and her parents. The results suggest that exposure to TV as a medium, which provides opportunities for repeated exposure to rich input, contextualized language, and a combination of visual and aural stimuli, may have an important influence on L2 vocabulary acquisition. However, it has to be emphasized that the influence was evidenced in the production of a highly motivated language learner in an environment that was truly supportive of her language development.

Highlights

In the 21st century, globalization and digitalization have significantly changed educational perspectives on when, where, and how people learn
Mateja Hendrih – Stela Letica Krevelj: Why do sparkles make a sound in English? The impact of media exposure on child L2 vocabulary acquisition presented, what level of individual ability a child might have for processing that specific content and, how these factors interact in the process
Mateja Hendrih – Stela Letica Krevelj: Why do sparkles make a sound in English? The impact of media exposure on child L2 vocabulary acquisition ers in Croatia reached at the end of the first four years of formal learning of English and their correlation with quite a few non-linguistic factors

Summary

Introduction

In the 21st century, globalization and digitalization have significantly changed educational perspectives on when, where, and how people learn. In Croatia, due to the presence of the English language through subtitled TV programmes, the internet, social media, music and gaming, English is an integral part of the everyday lives of many people. English language learning in Croatia is most commonly a result of formal learning in FL classrooms and informal/out-of-school exposure to English, primarily through the media.. In this paper we are going to address a topic which we believe merits much more attention: the influence of exposure to TV in English on child L2 vocabulary acquisition in an FL learning setting. We will review some research findings on the effects of exposure to TV content in L2 on overall SLA and point out some of the non-linguistic factors that facilitate L2 child vocabulary acquisition

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