ERIC Number: EJ1075264
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2015
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0965-8416
EISSN: N/A
Young Children Talk about Their Popular Cartoon and TV Heroes' Speech Styles: Media Reception and Language Attitudes
Stamou, Anastasia G.; Maroniti, Katerina; Griva, Eleni
Language Awareness, v24 n3 p216-232 2015
Considering the role of popular cultural texts in shaping sociolinguistic reality, it makes sense to explore how children actually receive those texts and what conceptualisations of sociolinguistic diversity they form through those texts. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to examine Greek young children's views on sociolinguistic diversity in popular cartoons and TV series. Drawing upon a framework of media reception, we explored how attention to the ways children at age six interpret mediated representations of sociolinguistic difference might provide a methodological addition to tools used for investigating language attitudes and ideologies. From the analysis of children's interviews, it was found that they can easily distinguish between different dimensions of sociolinguistic difference, showing an enhanced sociolinguistic awareness. On the other hand, their reading positions seemed to be in acceptance with the meanings conveyed in the texts. Moreover, our findings suggest that children tended to make hegemonic readings of popular cultural texts, premising many of their evaluations on the ways in which sociolinguistic diversity was represented in the text (e.g. plot, characterisation). The implications of these findings for the role of popular culture in the shaping of children's language attitudes are discussed.
Descriptors: Popular Culture, Cartoons, Television Viewing, Speech Communication, Language Attitudes, Sociolinguistics, Foreign Countries, Children, Ideology, Social Influences, Femininity, Masculinity, Preschool Education, Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education, Semi Structured Interviews, Greek, Mass Media Effects, Dialects, Films, Attitude Measures, Males, Females, Gender Differences
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Preschool Education; Early Childhood Education; Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Greece
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A