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This fascinating open access study explains and describes the process by which young children can acquire a second language incidentally via regular exposure to animated cartoons. Joyful and regular multi-year exposure to cartoons can replicate some aspects of the mother-tongue acquisition process, especially when supported by a co-viewing caregiver. Rosalia di Nisio emphasises two important elements in the acquisition process: the mediation of co-viewing adults as a motivating factor, and the multimodal nature of cartoons as a facilitator of extensive comprehension through sounds and images. She demonstrates this multimodality through a focus the ''dual-coded'' interaction between cartoons'' verbal, auditory and visual dimensions. Combining cognitive, relational and language perspectives, di also Nisio demonstrates the near-native language acquisition phases: singing and acting out mark the baby''s involvement accompanied by a caregiver; the silent, but fertile phase during which listening skills reach surprising levels; speech being prompted by opportunities to interact with a native speaker. Underpinned by foundational theory from cognitive psychology, multimodality and applied linguistics, this is an essential study of a fertile but overlooked mode of language acquisition. The ebook editions of this book are available open access under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence on bloomsburycollections.com
