Impact of Watching Cartoons on Pronunciation of a Child in an EFL Setting: A Comparative Study with Problematic Sounds of EFL Learners

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to describe a longitudinal case study of pronunciation acquisition for an Arabic child who watched English TV cartoons in an English as a foreign language (EFL) setting, basically in Buraidah, Saudi Arabia. The child, whose name is Anmar, was raised in a typical Arabic environment where Arabic was the only means of communication he experienced. He watched selected English TV cartoons since he was three years old and until he was ten years old. This research study focused on Anamr's acquisition of pronunciation, although the chances to use the language were very limited due to his EFL environment. Additionally, the study aims at comparing Anmar's pronunciation of problematic sounds to Arab learners of English, as stated in previous studies. The research adopted a longitudinal research methodology aiming to find if watching English TV cartoons without even minimum use of language could impact the child's pronunciation compared to his counterparts of Arab learners of English. Therefore, this research utilized some methods, including rating some audio and video recordings of conversations with his father and storytelling. Two native speakers of English rated his performance. A mispronunciation recognition test was carried out to evaluate Anmar's recognition of mispronunciation. The study found out that Anmar's pronunciation was native-like. He far outperformed the Arab learners of English concerning the problematic sounds to Arab learners. He easily differentiates between, for instance, minimal pairs, diphthongs, consonant clusters, vowels, and intonation. The study concluded that children might acquire English pronunciation by watching TV cartoons to be able to overcome the pronunciation problems that many Arab speakers experience. Additionally, English learners in elementary schools may watch such programs to train them to listen to authentic language in media.

Impact of Animation Movies on Children's Behavioral and Language Development

“…While a good number of parents (77.5%) reported that their children imitated their favorite cartoon characters, 60% of them indicated that cartoons impacted children's behavior. These results are consistent with earlier findings (Salghonaim, 2020;Sahin, 2019;& Zhang et al, 2019) which similarly reported a change in children's behavior after they were exposed to continuous consumption of cartoon content.…”

“…Despite the above effects of the consumption of cartoons on children's development, it has been found that these animations yield some positive outcomes (Salghonaim, 2020). For instance, cartoons are very useful educational and socialization tools that have been demonstrated to:…”

Phonological Errors In The Pronunciation Of Hijaiyyah Letters At Islamic Boarding School/ Kesalahan Fonologis Dalam Pengucapan Huruf Hijaiyyah Di Pondok Pesantren

“…Selain itu, penting bagi kita untuk membedakan satu huruf dari huruf lainnya (Nida Roudlotul, Riga Zahara Nurani 2023). Hal ini dikarenakan dalam bahasa Arab, jika ada kesalahan dalam pengucapan satu huruf, maka makna atau arti kata tersebut dapat berbeda (S. Alghonaim, 2020).…”

The Effect of Video Watching in the EFL Classroom

“…Cartoons can help young students of EFL to improve their pronunciation skills, which is a significant obstacle in EFL acquisition in many foreign countries. Alghonaim (2020) emphasizes the impact of cartoons on children's correct English pronunciation. His study revealed that pre-pubescent EFL students can acquire a native-like English pronunciation by watching cartoons and overcoming all mispronunciation obstacles that occur with many foreign English learners.…”