American TV Drama Research Articles

Not to Speak but to Socialize: Based on the American TV drama, The Good Wife

Not to Speak but to Socialize: Based on the American TV drama, The Good Wife

Routines revisited: Based on the American TV drama, Desperate housewives

This paper revisits the traditional definition of routines and suggests a broader definition from a multi-dimensional perspective. Brown (2007) considers a routine to be a stock phrase or sentence without internalized knowledge of the components. Such a definition only takes the linguistic point of view, however. In contrast, this article looks deeper into the reasons for the emergence of routines and analyzes them from social and cultural viewpoints. In order to observe students’ attitude to routines and learning strategies for memorization of routines, three university students participated in an experimental class. Students were told what routines were and how to study with them. After they had translated and discussed the script, they submitted reports about what they had learned, what they wanted to learn further and routines from their own points of view. The findings showed that both student A and B succeeded in connecting routines and the storyline, still practicality seemed to be their priority. However, they admitted that routines based on the storyline are easy to remember no matter how long the sentences are. The result for the student C was disappointing in that she was confused about the notion of routines and refused to accept the new concept of routines.

Gains and losses of the lexical approach through the American TV drama Criminal minds

Gains and losses of the lexical approach through the American TV drama Criminal minds

Local vs. Foreign Television Drama: Niche Analysis of a South Korean Audience's Use of Korean, American and Japanese Dramas

The present study explored the reception and consumption processes of a Korean audience’s viewing of local and international television dramas. Findings indicated that the influential factors on the level of viewing in regards to Korean, American, and Japanese TV dramas among Korean viewers differed. In particular, a significant difference was found in terms of perceived drama characteristics. Applying niche theory, the present study also examined the audience’s motivation for watching these television dramas. Results demonstrated that Korean TV dramas possessed the broadest niche breadth and were the most competitive. In a comparison of the perceived characteristics of TV dramas, American drama earned competitive superiority for most characteristics. The implications from the results were discussed in terms of cultural discount and proximity.

An analysis and evaluation of the American TV drama, Suits as an English language study material focusing on ‘Words-Punch’

An analysis and evaluation of the American TV drama, Suits as an English language study material focusing on ‘Words-Punch’

Use of an American TV Drama Glee for Moral and Emotional Lessons

Use of an American TV Drama Glee for Moral and Emotional Lessons

Translations of 30 Rock in the New Media Environment in Korea

Changes in the new media environment are radically shifting the ways audiences consume media products. The development on the latest technologies such as DVD and the Internet is changing how viewers interact with each other. For instance, fans of American TV drama and sitcoms in Korea participate in online discussions about plots and characters. They also exchange amateur subtitle translations and comment on them. This study will attempt to outline the so-called fansubbing phenomenon in Audiovisual Translation and compare and analyze examples from institutionalized subtitles (authorized translations on cable TV stations by professional translators) and fansubbed versions (fan-produced amateur translations) of the popular American sitcom 30 Rock. Upon examination, we can see that this new form of Internet subtitling by amateur translators employs more creative and individualistic strategies of translation than conventional translations done by professionals. These diverse translation techniques prove that fansubbing is a translation process in which established standards and conventions can be challenged. There are implications for the emergence of a new flourishing sector of cultural production and knowledge sharing based on the New Media Internet-based environment, and the forming of new cultural sensibilities and new cultural tastes in Korea.

Learning L2 Vocabulary with American TV Drama From the Learner’s Perspective

Following the trend of computer assisted language learning (CALL), in Taiwan, most language classes now have equivalent media support for language teachers and learners. Implementing videos into classroom activities is one of the choices. The current study explores the process of implementing American TV drama in L2 vocabulary learning from learners’ perspectives. Twenty-eight Taiwanese EFL adult learners participate in the study. Authentic video clips from three different American dramas- “How I met your mother”, “The King of Queens”, and “Reba” are adopted. After three sessions of class activities including clip watching, class discussion, word listing, etc., students complete a 4-likert scale questionnaire and are individually interviewed by the researcher to give their opinions. The results reveal positive comments on the facilitative role of TV drama in learning new vocabulary as previous studies suggested, but learners’ comments point out some crucial factors while learning L2 vocabulary with TV drama. First of all, the interest level and the familiarity of the content is an important factor. In addition, the images, subtitles and repetition help participants to “remember” the target words. Other factors such as the authenticity of the language, the contextual meaning of the words, and the dramatic performances all contribute to the learning of the L2 vocabulary. In the end of the study, working memory system, the context, acquisition-learning hypothesis (Krashen, 1981), and noticing hypothesis (Schmidt, 1990) are further discussed.

Lifestyles, gratifications sought, and narrative appeal: American and Korean TV drama viewing among Internet users in urban China

In recent years, online viewing has become an important way for Chinese audiences to watch foreign TV dramas. This exploratory study investigated the predictive power of lifestyles, gratifications sought, narrative appeal, and demographics on the viewing preference for and frequency of American and Korean TV dramas among a sample of 455 Internet users in urban China. The results show that narrative appeal, viewing habits, and gender were predictors of viewing preference. Lifestyles were significantly linked to gratifications sought. Frequent American TV drama viewers tended to be motivated by learning about American language, culture, and fashion; attracted by the complicated plot; and preferred online viewing. The study supports and expands understanding of the uses and gratifications theory, and argues that viewing foreign TV dramas could be an index of social distinction in urban China. Practical implications for the media industry are discussed.

Corpus-based Vocabulary Analysis of American TV Drama Series

With a view to identifying how many words a learner of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) needs to know to watch and adequately understand the...

A discourse analysis of conversations in American TV dramas

A discourse analysis of conversations in American TV dramas

Why American TV dramas?: To enhance conversational awareness

Why American TV dramas?: To enhance conversational awareness

Comparison of authenticity in conversations in American TV dramas and movies

Comparison of authenticity in conversations in American TV dramas and movies