Incidental foreign language acquisition from media exposure

Abstract

A number of experimental studies have demonstrated the incidental acquisition of a foreign language by children and adolescents when watching foreign language television. While such experiments can only establish short‐term effects, this article investigates the extent to which children’s foreign language skills benefit from their long‐term consumption of media. An empirical study conducted in the Flemish (Dutch‐speaking) area of Belgium compared the self‐reported use of three English language media by 374 pupils in the last year of primary education with their scores on two oral translation tests: one from Dutch to English and one vice versa. Two general linear model analyses of variance reveal that pupils who frequently watch subtitled English television programs and movies perform significantly better on both tests. Interestingly, the effect of watching subtitled television and movies is stronger with girls than with boys. Furthermore, playing English computer games positively influences the scores on the English–Dutch test.

Keywords:

• incidental language acquisition
• English
• subtitled television
• computer games
• music

Acknowledgments

The author would like to thank Heidi Vandebosch and Toon Kuppens for their invaluable statistical advice and the journal’s anonymous reviewers, Annick De Houwer and Jelle Mast, for their insightful comments on an earlier version. The empirical data of the present study were gathered in the framework of a Research Training Module at the Communication Studies Department of the University of Antwerp, under the supervision of the author and A. De Houwer. The input and enthusiasm of the students is gratefully acknowledged.

Notes

1. Several factors constrain the exact representation of the spoken script in the subtitles. Hatim and Mason (1997, 65–6) mention, for instance, the shift from spoken to written mode, in which aspects such as dialect and intonation cannot (always) be represented; space and time constraints, which generally reduce the amount of speech that can be represented in the subtitles; and the fact that subtitles need to match the visual image.

2. Long‐term effects of (educational) television viewing on the acquisition of a first language and of a second language (by bilingual infants) have, however, received research interest (see e.g., Wright et al. 2001, and Uchikoshi 2005, 2006a, 2006b, respectively).

3. The only significant relationship found between the use of media that require an English proficiency and the use of English‐subtitled television and movies, music, and computer games is a very weak relationship between watching subtitled television programs and movies, and watching non‐subtitled television programs and movies (tau‐b = 0.161; p < 0.001).

4. Subtitled or non‐subtitled television was not specified in the question.