Exploring informal and colloquial language through Netflix’s Derry Girls

Abstract

[eng] The presence of colloquial and informal language is rather neglected in today’s EFL classrooms. The following study aims to demonstrate that this vocabulary, part of a genuine, real-world English, can be incorporated into the lesson in a unique way; by using authentic audio-visual materials like television sitcoms. For this dissertation, several fields have been explored in depth, such as the value of those genuine products as a teaching tool, that goes hand in hand with students’ motivation, the relevance of the cultural competence and further aspects like the purpose of working with informal and colloquial word-forms, the irrefutable role of captions and an analysis of the incidental vocabulary acquisition phenomenon in the language learning experience. Moreover, this MA dissertation includes an empirical study conducted with 4th of ESO students which aimed at analysing whether using the Northern Irish TV show Derry Girls is a beneficial tool to gain new vocabulary like idioms and phrasal verbs. The results obtained indicate that students were more motivated when learning English this way; moreover, it in fact helped most of them learn new vocabulary.