Publication

Abstract : The role of films and literature in English Language Teaching (ELT) has recently emerged as a new field of enquiry. It is the buzzword in the learning domain: edutainment. Empirical studies in language acquisition time and again prove that it is a complex process where surroundings and cognitive processes play important roles. The paper addresses a supplementary approach to ELT through films and literature. It discusses the rationale of this approach along with the framework for implementing the methodology. The paper also seeks to interrogate the counterpoint that films as a pedagogical tool are easier to execute as they would involve only typical classroom discussions. The paper outlines a well-designed, structured approach right from the planning, execution and implementation stages encompassing choice of films and demographics of the learner, methodology and its link to listener/audience comprehension at the syntactic, semantic and stylistic levels. It also addresses the structural differences of ELT through multimedia versus ELT through films and its comparative merits. With respect to using literature for teaching English, sound suggestions are made by matching the key skills in English language acquisition (reading, writing, listening and writing) to the literary methods used to implement it. Despite growing innovations in ELT, much of it has also not been successful. The paper also addresses the challenges in ELT through films. © 2012 IUP.