From informal resource usage to incidental language acquisition: language uptake from online television viewing in English

Abstract

Research into the online informal learning of English has established that this phenomenon is widespread amongst non-specialist learners of English in French universities, and has characterized the type and quantity of input learners are exposed to as they view original-version television series via downloading or streaming. In this study, learners first responded to a survey in order to indicate the frequency with which they view such material. Then they took part in a test, using a vocabulary knowledge scale to indicate their familiarity with sentences, presented orally, which were based on the most frequently occurring four-word chunks of language found in such series. The results indicate that frequent viewers have a significantly better knowledge of these items than occasional learners.