Video Script

Transcript of video

Hello! Cartoons for language learning!

Have you heard of Critical Period Hypothesis? Critical period hypothesis is a theory introduced by Penfield and Roberts. This theory suggests that children under 10 years of age can learn languages more easily than others. This must be great news for parents. But the problem is, little kids who are often fun-loving and distracted, have a hard time sitting and paying attention to language lessons. In this case, can cartoons become a good learning tool for child-viewers? It’s time we found out. A study done by the University of Kelaniya revealed that the majority of Sri Lankan parents do not want their children to watch Sinhala dubbed cartoons? Do you have a similar opinion? Let’s talk about that.

A research done by Rule and Auge (2005) proves that students prefer cartoons in language learning, as cartoons create an atmosphere that causes a high degree of motivation. Cartoons have captivating stories, fantastic adventures and care-free characters that are presented in a clear and simple way to attract the attention of children. Visual and auditory information are intermingled so that children would be motivated to understand the programmes better. In their attempt to connect dialogues with images, children are consciously or unconsciously exposed to language data. They try to understand the data. The process, to them, is like solving a puzzle.

Learning a second language, or any language in that case, requires a “positive” atmosphere. Cartoons are funny, interesting, and beautiful, like this. As they present a positive atmosphere, students are highly stimulated to learn and speak the target language, be it Sinhala, Tamil, or English.

Think about educational cartoons like Dora the Explorer. The creators of the program claim that the show was created based on Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligence Theory that encourages children to use all pits of intelligence to help Dora overcome the challenges she comes across in the jungle. Educational cartoons like these are clearly designed to not only entertain, but also educate children. How about cartoons that are purely for entertainment? What elements do all types of cartoons have in common that can aid the language learning process of a young child?

• Simplified language and slow rate of speech for easier comprehension

• Paralinguistic features like high pitch and exaggerated intonation

• Mimicry of caretaker speech/ baby talk

• Production techniques such as visual and auditory effects

• Strong picture-word connection

• Simple sentences

• Repetition of utterances

• Recurrent plots

• Attention grabbers: vibrant colours, beautiful animation

What language skills are developed through cartoons?

• Interpreting linguistic messages

• Understanding conversational patterns

• Turn-taking

• Processing of abstract verbal messages

• Memorizing words, phrases, names, songs

• Acquisition of pronunciation

• Shy children are encouraged to speak by adopting or mimicking the personality of a cartoon character, which is common among children. This is called mirroring. This can help develop the social, verbal and creative skills of shy or anxious children

• Children also tend to repeat funny sentences they hear from cartoons, which eventually become ingrained in their minds. This process is called suggestopedia: the method of learning a foreign language by memorising sentences in a playful atmosphere.

What are some drawbacks of cartoon learning?

• Lack of an interactive relationship

• Lack of interactional modifications

• Lack of feedback

However, in this respect, most of the self-learning methods are not interactive.

In fact, a research done by University of Colorado proved that there is no recognizable difference in a child’s performance between storybook and cartoon learning. What is important is proper parental guidance. As cartoons do have a big influence on your child’s cognitive development and creative process, you as the parent, can choose pro-social and non-violent cartoons for your child.

The Covid19 outbreak has made it increasingly difficult to facilitate interactive learning opportunities like pre-school and peer groups. Cartoons, if chosen correctly, can be a great friend and a teacher for your child! Make sure not to confuse adult cartoons with kids cartoons!

I’ll see you again with another video!

BYE!

References

Carter, J. R. (2008). Dora the Explorer: Preschool Geographic Educator. Journal of Geography, 107(3), 77–86. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221340802419377

Jayasooriya, B. G. S. R., Sooriyaarachchige, S. S. S., & Gunawardana, R. M. (2019). The impact of Sinhala dubbed cartoons on Sri Lankan Kids. UoK Repository Home. Retrieved September 28, 2021, from http://repository.kln.ac.lk/handle/123456789/21572.

Jylhä‐Laide, J. (1994). Learning by viewing: Cartoons as foreign language learning material for children‐‐a case study. Journal of Educational Television, 20(2), 93–109. https://doi.org/10.1080/0260741940200204

Mwaura, M. (n.d.). The Role of Cartoons in Language Acquisition. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/348778316_THE_ROLE_OF_CARTOONS_IN_LANGUAGE_ACQUISITION_by_Moses_Muiruri_Mwaura.

Poštič, S. (2015). Influence of Cartoon Network on the Acquisition of American English during Childhood, 06, 188–195. https://doi.org/https://www.journals.vu.lt/verbum/article/view/8817/6558

Van Horn, D., & Kan, P. F. (2015). Fast mapping by bilingual children: Storybooks and cartoons. Child Language Teaching and Therapy, 32(1), 65–77. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265659015584975