USING FILMS TO LEARN ENGLISH AND THE SPEECH BEHAVIOR OF ITS NATIVE SPEAKERS

ИСПОЛЬЗОВАНИЕ ФИЛЬМОВ ДЛЯ ИЗУЧЕНИЯ АНГЛИЙСКОГО ЯЗЫКА И РЕЧЕВОГО ПОВЕДЕНИЯ ЕГО НОСИТЕЛЕЙ

Штакал Илья Борисович

студент, кафедра "Измерительные и вычислительные комплексы", Ульяновский государственный технический университет,

РФ, г. Ульяновск

Корухова Людмила Владимировна

научный руководитель, канд. фил. наук, доц., Ульяновский государственный технический университет,

РФ, г. Ульяновск

ABSTRACT

The article is devoted to the problem of using films to learn English and the speech behavior of its native speakers.

АННОТАЦИЯ

Статья посвящена проблеме использования фильмов для изучения английского языка и речевого поведения его носителей.

Keywords: English, Native English speakers, linguistic behavior, movies.

Ключевые слова: английский язык, носители английского языка, языковое поведение, фильмы.

The development of methods of teaching English requires teachers to use a variety of methodological resources. Currently, in addition to printed and audio materials, teachers can use English-language films in their work. Movies have become available to a wide range of consumers. They are the most authentic material that allows you to get acquainted with the language, speech behavior and culture of native speakers.

Films can be used both in the classroom and for independent work of students.

Using movies helps keep students motivated at a high level. Watching a movie or its scenes and then performing exercises for them is much more interesting than traditional types of work that focus on correctness and are aimed at preparing for exams and tests. Such types of work do not always contribute to mastering a foreign language as a tool for communicating with its native speakers. One of the main disadvantages of standardized and traditional types of work is the lack of real semantic context. As a result of using these types of works, students may have difficulty understanding the main ideas when listening and reading based on authentic material.

• When using a movie in English classes, you can use the following techniques;
• view scenes in order, i.e. view one scene, then analyze it, and only then view the next scene;
• view only certain scenes or use a single scene from the entire movie;
• view the whole movie.

The choice of methods of using films usually depends on the learning goals and characteristics of students. It is usually not recommended to show the film to the entire group at once, especially if they are students with a low level of training. This approach can lead to information overload and make it difficult to learn the material. When using this approach, the teacher needs to determine in advance the purpose of using each passage intended for viewing [1], for example:

• organization of a discussion on a specific topic;
• listening skills;
• grammar;
• pronunciation;
• speech behavior;
• cultural facts of the country of the language being studied.

When viewing a movie, it is recommended that you perform tasks related to the movie as a whole, and not to its individual parts. When using this approach, it usually takes one to two hours for an entire lesson that includes watching a movie and completing tasks related to it, unlike classes that use film excerpts and related types of work [2]. For example:

• with an image, but without sound (or vice versa);
• pause or time-lapse view;
• an arbitrary sequence of fragments (for their subsequent ordering);
• view in small groups of different fragments or the same one in different modes for later recovery of the whole.

This method is ideal for those who are learning English at an advanced level. It allows you to avoid unnecessary interruptions and focus on understanding the meaning of the movie and its hidden meanings. That is why you should choose films with meaning rather than purely entertaining ones to watch the whole movie, since it is important not only to pay attention to the form, but also to activate thinking, which is allowed by films that raise issues that concern native speakers and those who study it [3]. In this case, it is important to understand the meaning that we put into words. The form also matters, because it adds additional shades of meaning to what we say. Watching the entire movie can be an additional incentive for students to learn a foreign language. This helps them better understand the language and how it is spoken by modern native speakers. This approach to learning English not only develops listening skills, but also arouses interest in pragmatics — an important part of communication competence.

There are several important factors to consider when choosing a film for English classes:

• the degree of clarity of the film and the language used in it for a certain group of students;
• the extent to which the film's plot is suitable for a given audience;
• volume of language material;
• volume of speech and behavioral material;
• volume of country study material;
• balance of speech and visual content;
• availability of subtitles;
• how up-to-date the film is, and so on.

The more criteria listed above are met, the less likely it is that watching a movie in English class will be a waste of time and cause annoyance to the teacher and students.

When you use movies in English lessons, it is recommended that you follow a three-phase work schedule:

1. before viewing;
2. while viewing;
3. after viewing.

The first phase is very important because it serves as preparation. The success of using films in English classes largely depends on how well the teacher explains the idea of the film to students and introduces the characters. At this stage, you can offer students exercises in which they will try to guess the content of the film, focusing, for example, on the cover of the DVD disc. These tasks will help students tune in to watch and better understand the story.

While watching, you can analyze the plot and characters of the movie. At this stage of work, you can perform various exercises, such as:

• view in small groups of different fragments or the same one in different modes for later recovery of the whole;
• with an image, but without sound (or vice versa);
• learn more details;
• recording / transcribing;
• video dictation with filling in gaps.

These exercises will help you better understand the movie and its features, such as idioms and slang that are used in different communication situations. This is very important, because in real communication with a native speaker, you may encounter a lot of idiomatic expressions and slang. If you don't know or know how to use these expressions correctly, it can reduce the effectiveness of your communication.

At the last stage, after watching the movie, you can perform the following exercises:

• alternative selection (true / false);
• multiple choice;
• search for matches (matching);
• putting in the right order;
• filling in gaps (gap filling);
• problem solving;
• role-playing game (role-play);
• group discussion.

You can also include homework related to the movie you watched at this stage. To do this, you can use the following types of exercises:

• an essay with elements of description, reasoning, etc.;
• a film review.

Movies are valuable authentic material that is often underestimated. When choosing a movie to watch, you should follow several criteria. If you choose the right film that will be interesting to a specific audience and meet the goals set by the teacher, it will not only help students improve their language skills, but also introduce them to the speech behavior of native speakers. Movies are great for listening, because the language they use is as close to real communication as possible. We see a native speaker, and we have the full context in front of us, including its visual aspects. This allows you to compensate for possible problems on the audio side of communication. The film visually presents the pronunciation of native speakers. This helps you better understand the intonation and stress in an English sentence. Having mastered this knowledge, students will be able to better understand the true meaning of the utterance and build their speech in a foreign language according to the models accepted among native speakers. Such skills will allow students to focus not only on the form, but also on the content. It is important to note that films are also a visual illustration of all components of speech behavior of native speakers: gestures, facial expressions, poses, distance between interlocutors, ways of expressing emotions in various communication situations, and so on. All these factors help students not only learn the foreign language itself, but also understand how it is used in the everyday life of its native speakers. Knowledge of the rules of speech behavior will help students to use a foreign language more effectively in communication with its native speakers.

Список литературы:

1. Stempleski S. Video in the ESL classroom: Making the most of the movies // ESL Magazine. 2000. March/April. P. 10-12.
2. Stempleski S., Tomalin B. Video in Action: Recipes for using video in language teaching. N. Y., 1990.
3. Shea D. Whole movies and engaged response in the Japanese university ESL classroom // Pedagogical Perspective on Using Films in Foreign Language Classes / ed. by C. Casanave Simons. Keio University SFC Monograph. 1995. № 4. P. 3-17.