Corpus-based cultivation of critical language awareness

A case study on English film subtitles

Authors

  • Tingting Su University Sains Malaysia
  • Mohamed Abdou Moindjie University Sains Malaysia
  • Manjet Kaur Mehar Singh University Sains Malaysia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.32674/51hmt433

Keywords:

Critical Language Awareness, Film Subtitles, Language Education

Abstract

This study examines the use of English film subtitles to cultivate critical language awareness (CLA) and enhance language skills via a corpus-based approach. Creating and analyzing a specialized corpus of film subtitles reveals the cultural, social, and ideological dimensions of language usage. The findings show that film subtitles provide an authentic context for language learning, improving the comprehension of diverse linguistic expressions. This approach fosters cultural awareness and critical thinking, bridging linguistic proficiency and cultural understanding. While focusing on English, the methodology is adaptable to various languages. This research offers novel insights into language education, particularly in applying corpus-based methods for CLA and practical language skill enhancement. 

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Author Biographies

  • Mohamed Abdou Moindjie, University Sains Malaysia

    Mohamed Abdou Moindjie holds a PhD in Literary Translation from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Penang. He is currently a Senior Lecturer (Maître de Conferences) of English Language and Translation Studies, School of Languages, Literacies and Translation, Universiti Sains Malaysia. He was Maître de Conferences  at the Department of Foreign Languages, Université des Comores where he taught Translation (French- English), and English Writing Skills. He was also Chairperson of the Department of Foreign Languages,Université des Comores  from 2016 to 2018. He is a polyglot. He is fluent in English, French, Arabic, and Comoran. He has advanced Knowledge of Chinese, Malay, German, Russian, Spanish, and Swahili. Email:  mohdmoindjie@usm.my

  • Manjet Kaur Mehar Singh, University Sains Malaysia

    Manjet Kaur Mehar Singh completed her B.A. (Education) Hons., (1995), Master in Education (TESOL) (2000) and Ph.D specialising in Academic Literacies and International Students (2013) at University of Science Malaysia. She started her academic career as a language instructor at the Center of Languages and Translation, USM in 1996. As a scholar, Dr.Manjet Kaur’s field of research interests are wide-ranging, which include language, literacy, muliticulturalism and research in higher education. She is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Languages, Literacies and Translation, Universiti Sains Malaysia. Email: manjeet@usm.my

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Additional Files

Published

2024-10-21

Issue

Section

Conference Special Issue with Chandigarh University

How to Cite

Corpus-based cultivation of critical language awareness: A case study on English film subtitles. (2024). Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies in Education, 13(S1). https://doi.org/10.32674/51hmt433