The role of watching American cartoons in learning English

LTReikšminiai žodžiai: Cartoons; Cartoon Network; Second-language acquisition; English language; Childhood.

ENIn recent years, English lecturers have observed an increasing number of students who speak English with an American accent. Reasons for this are usually attributed either to a great individual talent or to a greater exposure to American media, especially Hollywood films and the internet. Evidence derived by this study points to the crucial role of American cartoons in the acquisition of English, especially for reaching a native or near-native level of pronunciation. For the purposes of this work, nine first- and second-year students of Physics and Economics at Vilnius University were interviewed. Even though none of them have spent more than a few weeks in an English-speaking country or an English-speaking environment, they demonstrate excellent proficiency in American English. The questionnaire they were given examined the influence of media, especially Cartoon Network, in their adoption of the English language. Results show they have all watched the channel in their childhood, and most of them have watched it at least a few hours every day. Although certain other factors proved to be important for such near-perfect acquisition of the language, the obvious conclusion is that the crucial role in the formation of an American accent in Lithuanian children is played by cartoon- watching during their childhood. [From the publication]