The Role of Subtitles in Learning a Second Language: A Case Study of Selected Urdu/English Bilinguals

Abstract

This study investigates the use of subtitles in learning the English language in High School. This was an experimental study. The data was collected from 20 male and female students. They were ninth and tenth-grades students at a local school. They had Urdu as the national language and English as the most prestigious second language for communication. In the first phase, the data was based on the participants' cumulative performance in the English language. Furthermore, the same group was exposed to English subtitles of Harry Potter Part I and Part III films for six weeks. As a result of this intervention. The participants learned different words and grammatical features, which outnumbered their previous performance. The study revealed that there was a significant improvement in the participants' competence and performance in the English language. This study, in a way, contributes to pedagogical activity for learning and teaching the English language.

Keywords

• role of subtitles, English language learning, pedagogical activity, bilingualism