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TV.....a great language influencer


lovemwaf

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I have been to places where i have heard young people speak english better than the americans and their accents sound real authentic, but they are continents away from america. When you ask them where they learnt how to speak like that, they will tell you that they watch a lot of tv and thats where they picked it all up from.

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I have to agree with you with regards to my own experience and my country. Most of my fellow Portuguese in my age group, but also older and younger, have very good diction when speaking English, and that is mostly due to television and cinema. Because we didn't have a dubbing industry, we opted for the cheaper method of subtitling the images, which naturally granted us access to the way English sounds in severall regions (since we had programmes from the USA, the UK and occasionally Australia). Most of us here have been exposed to the sound of the English language since young and for long periods of time. I was in Canada a few years back, and I got complimented often on how natural it felt.

I also find that other countries weren't quite so lucky in this aspect. In places where there is a strong dubbing industry, like Spain, France and Italy, I find that the locals have very poor spoken English skills, and their home accent is much more prevalent.

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I used to watch mainly American tv and films when I was young, also subtitled. That's where I learnt a lot of English from. In later years I felt I also learnt more from using the internet.

So I certainly agree with you that entertainment is a very good way to learn the basics of a language.

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I have to agree with you. I've learned English from TV, when I was really young, and a lot of my friends  have learned it in the same way. Most movies weren't translated back then, usually subtitles were used, and that actually helps a lot if you want to grasp the basics of a language.

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That is so true. I am actually a product of television. I remember i was young and the only movie that we had on VHS was coming to america. I watched that movie so long that i picked up all the lines and could quote it to you back to back. I think that for me is where i picked up on a good american accent.

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I am with you in this. TV is one of the ways to learn the language by the actors speak and communicate with others. The subtitle also helps people to learn the language effectively. Another way would be by reading books in the language in which people are learning. That was how I learned English by reading books.

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Really... that's interesting... I never thought of that... Is this still the same with all the reality shows going on now in America. I'm guessing in the past the grammar was decent because scripts had to be written. I also think people cared more about proper speaking and writing in the past than they do today.

As an American, I find TV shows do help, but books are much better for grammar. I've picked up many subtitle mistakes in Hindi movies and in Latin telenovelas.

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TV and cinema is a great way to get used to conversational elements. It's almost like a form of immersion. No, the dialogue itself isn't always realistic, but the structure of the writing and the way it is spoken is great for learning.

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Really... that's interesting... I never thought of that... Is this still the same with all the reality shows going on now in America. I'm guessing in the past the grammar was decent because scripts had to be written. I also think people cared more about proper speaking and writing in the past than they do today.

As an American, I find TV shows do help, but books are much better for grammar. I've picked up many subtitle mistakes in Hindi movies and in Latin telenovelas.

I have to agree with you that I was surprised in reading so many responses touting a positive influence.  My first reaction was with the slang and some of the "language" on tv shows, it was not a true indicator of diction or grammar.

I am glad though to see that so many have found TV and movies to add to the learning experience.

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I have found, amidst a few of my English-as-a-second-language friends, there is one common language-learning tool: The Simpsons. Each and everyone one of them has used The Simpsons as a way to learn the English language - and beyond that, they end up picking up the slang and strange wordings as well. For example, one of my friends says "Man" quite a lot, just in the way that Bart would. It's pretty funny, I love it.

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Now that I think about it, I might have learnt how to pronounce most of the words I use on a daily basis when I speak english thanks to the TV.  When I started learning english on my own I was just 16, and I've always been a TV junkie, so I must have picked up a lot words this way.  After all I never took classes or had contact with other speakers when I was learning the language.  I think music helped me a lot as well.

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Yes, it is true that television plays a major role as a language influencer. Based on my own experience since I came here in the country I am currently living for the past 6 months everyday I am watching their Korean teledrama, news report, cooking shows and I am really learning from them especially the pronunciation of the words. Its amazing and in just a span of time I am already able to speak the language even just a few words and construction of sentences. And I feel so excited to learn more about the language. :)

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Definitely. I think that TV is the thing which has helped me the most in learning English after books. Also you learn things like correct pronunciations when you hear the words in question being used. Tv helps out a lot there too.

Oh and you wouldn't know the slang words if you don't watch them being used on TV.

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I have been to places where i have heard young people speak english better than the americans and their accents sound real authentic, but they are continents away from america. When you ask them where they learnt how to speak like that, they will tell you that they watch a lot of tv and thats where they picked it all up from.

Yes, I can attest to that. I'm one such young person. I have a British accent and an American accent as well. lol.

tau nana na...tau na tauna...can't stop this! :grin:

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Yeah, the great thing about tv is you get to hear the common vernacular, the type of jargon you wouldn't learn in an official language. You also learn tone and context, two very important things when it comes to language.

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It is crazy to hear all these stories and it is really something to realize how much tv can affect you. I am now wondering if it can affect character and if people have learnt how to be who they are by watching tv. the influence is truly phenomenal.

It can affect behavior in subtle ways for sure, particularly in kids but someone learning how to be through TV? That's a little far fetched. Frankly, someone like that would be pitiable.

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  • 2 months later...

TV is definitely a great way to learn a new language. You can watch the regular sitcoms for informal language usage and watch the news for proper usage. Even if you're only starting to learn a new language, you can start with kids' shows and cartoons. Although you would still have to supplement this with actual conversation if you really want to master a language.

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