How TV Affects Developing Speech Patterns in Children

Dr. Erica Brozovsky of the PBS series Otherwords explains how television affects developing speech patterns in children, but ultimately the language that surrounds the child in real life is the one they will use going forward.

Kids develop the ability to differentiate between different linguistic codes early on, whether that’s between two different languages spoken at home, or even two different accents in the same language. While they may have fun imitating their favorite characters, at the same time, kids are sorting IRL speech into one categoryand that as seen on TV dialect into another.

Real world examples include the Australian kids show Bluey and the British show Peppa Pig. The language is the same, but the lexicon differs. Kids will eventually figure out what sounds right to them.

When the Australian children’s show “Bluey” hit American streaming services, parents started noticing something strange.Their kids were suddenly looking for the rubbish bin, asking what’s for brekky…When Peppa Pig says mummy, but their siblings, friends, and teachers say mom, they’ll eventually start to replicate the accents and speech patterns of those around them.