Learning with Sitcoms
What makes situational comedies so effective for language learners
Image by: Andrea Piacquadio
By Hanyu Tales (13th December 2024)
A popular learning resource for English foreign language students seems to be the sitcom Friends. In fact, entire teaching guides have been created in honor of this show, such as Elif Konus’ Using Sitcoms in ESL/EFL: A Handbook for Using Friends in the Classroom. This is unsurprising, as the nature of the situational comedy genre makes it a fantastic fit for language learners—let’s look at the research and see exactly why this is the case.
Improved Speaking
An article from the Language Learning in Higher Education journal argues that:
“Although it comprises written-to-be-spoken text, the situation comedy is an excellent source of “real” everyday language”
This is one of the main strengths of the sitcom genre, and an extension of the previous point about colloquial English. For those looking to improve their speaking skills in everyday situations, sitcoms surpass traditional textbooks in many respects. Also, given the use of realistic situations and authentic conversations, students will be repeatedly exposed to the most typically used sentence patterns—this is less likely if they opted for a science fiction show. a paper from Thai researchers states that “integrating conversations from authentic materials such as sitcoms to strengthen English language learners’ conversation abilities” is recommended. Colloquial English
Speaking well involves an awareness of colloquial uses of the language too, and this study showed that 2000s sitcom The Office helped Italian students to improve their spontaneous and colloquial uses of English. These results are unsurprising, as this journal article explains how sitcoms contain linguistic features such as vocatives, expletives, and repetitions to create colloquial and informal language that students should become familiar with.
Cultural Insights
Colloquial usages of the language are often inspired by cultural insights, and this paper points out that traditional language-learning materials often lack cultural information, which are a crucial part of the language acquisition process. Another paper shared similar views, stating that:
“TV shows can be a dependable cultural training tool”
Perfect Comprehensible Input
If you subscribe to Stephen Krashen’s idea that comprehensible input is the key driver of language acquisition, then sitcoms are about as good as it gets, as the most important thing when selecting suitable comprehensible input is that you can comprehend it. Not only are sitcom storylines generally quite straightforward, but there are also a set of stock characters who rarely change, meaning you will have plenty of time to get to know the characters and their lives, boosting your understanding and priming yourself to acquire more of the language with little to no effort.
Reduced Anxiety
Understanding messages is the key focus of comprehensible input, and the more you understand, the more confident you are likely to feel when using the language. This may explain why this study found that sitcoms reduced anxiety and increased motivation towards learning foreign languages.
Convenience
Sitcoms are just about the most convenient form of media you could select as a language learner. Here are just some of the reasons why:
- Self-contained episodes: Given that each episode is self-contained, you can watch ten episodes in one day or one episode in ten days without losing track of a complicated plot.
- Viewing Options: Depending on your current level and goals, you can use subtitles in your own language and/or in your target language to make sure you can follow along with the show. There are even terrific Chrome extensions like Language Reactor which allow you to view subtitles in both your native and target languages simultaneously.
Image by: Jakub Zerdzicki
- Short runtime: Sitcom episodes are typically no more than half an hour, perfect for catching an episode on your lunch break without having to rush.
- Availability: Famous sitcoms like Friends and The Simpsons can be found all over the internet, and in several languages.
Further reading
If you enjoyed this article, you might also like Reading To Speak: How reading can improve your speaking skills. And if you want to master Chinese, get your free reading path to take you from your current level to reading Chinese literature.
Give Sitcoms a Try
To avoid burnout and stay motivated, intense study must be accompanied with less demanding language-learning tasks (more on this here). For the reasons outlined above, sitcoms are a great option for this type of task. As a language learner, you have the privilege of making watching TV a productive activity, so choose a sitcom and make the most of an enjoyable and relaxing learning opportunity. If you are a Chinese learner, be sure to check out the sitcom 家有儿女 (Home with Kids)!
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