The Role of Subtitles in Learning a Second Language: 476 UNIVERSITY OF CHITRAL JOURNAL OF LINGUISTICS AND LITERATURE VOL. 5 | ISSUE II | JULY – DEC | 2021 ISSN (E): 2663-1512, ISSN (P): 2617-3611 https://doi.org/10.33195/jll.v5iII.411 The Role of Subtitles in Learning a Second Language: A Case Study of Selected Urdu/English Bilinguals Iram Arshad1 Arisha Khan2 Madiha Rani3 1Lecturer, NUML, Lahore Campus 2Mphil, Applied Linguistics UMT, Lahore Campus 3Lecturer, NUML, Lahore campus 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 Introduction The research is conducted to know the influence of subtitles on learning English as a second language. English is acknowledged/ has reached the status of global lingua franca. In the previous years, numerous non-English nations have created and used different computerized frameworks to support English as a second language and they are introducing different ways of teaching and learning English (Almeida & Costa,2014). Additionally, most non-English nations expect their children to learn the English language at an early stage. For that purpose, subtitles play an important role in deducting/ covering the pace of the English language. The videos with subtitles are more effective for the viewers because they have a good understanding of the video clips, and they would know what the lexemes are used in those clips. This is an attraction too. People get highly inspired by those who are fluent in spoken English. The English language teachers are a favourite of their pupils, and they always fanaticize their English teachers at each level of study. So, every man wants not only to learn the English language but also to have good fluency in speaking. In Pakistan, students have non-English backgrounds. Moreover, the teachers do not deliver lectures in English rather they focus on completing the targeted syllabus instead of motivating students by practicing the English language in the classroom. It is least effective if learning or teaching English is restricted to books only. Watching video clips, news, etc. with English subtitles is very helpful in learning English. Sometimes students do not want to learn from books, subtitled video material is a good alternative that has a The Role of Subtitles in Learning a Second Language: 477 UNIVERSITY OF CHITRAL JOURNAL OF LINGUISTICS AND LITERATURE VOL. 5 | ISSUE II | JULY – DEC | 2021 ISSN (E): 2663-1512, ISSN (P): 2617-3611 https://doi.org/10.33195/jll.v5iII.411 great impact on learning. As it starts with improving reading skills that integrate speaking and writing skills. Subtitles not only enhance the lexical knowledge of the students but also increase their listening capacity. They further help in bringing new additions to vocabulary for viewers as the videos involve different topics, cultural norms, etc. The students come to schools with many issues regarding the English language such as bad comprehension, constrained vocabulary, slow analysing, awful grammar, and worst conversational abilities. Movies with subtitles can help overcome most of their problems. The related field of Second Language Acquisition (SLA) has been a great way of developing enthusiasm for the examination of the impacts of subtitled and captioned varying media materials on a few spaces of language learning/acquisition. Scholarly discourse, in this manner, has developed, giving ascend to plenty of concentrates that have contributed towards an increasingly strong comprehension of the learning forms which the students experience while engaged in video observing scenes inside and outside instructional situations. Moreover, to present a meaningful context for language learning, the interest in the use of subtitled/captioned films may have additionally been driven ahead for different reasons. Neumann and Koskinen point out a minimum of three of them, specifically: (i) videos’ combination of sounds and photos would possibly decorate the connection between the words and the meanings (ii) The enjoyment characteristic of movies can be taken as a bonus over texts (iii) The fact that viewing could be perceived as a cognitively lively experience when a suitable fabric is used. People in Pakistan are often suggested to watch English movies to improve their lexical knowledge. There is a difference in results of subtitled English movies and non-subtitled English movies as subtitles' viewers have more appropriate and sound vocabulary knowledge than the others. The main idea of watching the video with subtitles is to prepare students for their speech in the target language, the way they are going to listen to the English language the same way they would try to pronounce it, which would result in close to native-like command in speaking and understanding English. Vocabulary is the cardinal segment in the language acquisition process for the second language. Purpose of the Study The purpose of the study is to investigate the role of subtitles for Pakistani Urdu and English bilinguals in learning the English language. In Pakistan, there are some specific rules which continue from generation to generation for teaching and learning the English language. Learning and teaching can be done apart from the books and subtitles play a vital role in this regard. Subtitles are a different and interesting way of teaching and learning a language. The researcher wants to give a new perspective on foreign language learning, especially for vocabulary. This research will open new directions for learning vocabulary through subtitles. Aims and Objectives The study aims at investigating the role of subtitled videos in learning the vocabulary of English as a foreign language. The study will focus on the significant impact of a subtitle in learning vocabulary. The videos with subtitles are a new and useful way of learning a language. This study tried to investigate the viable effects of using English subtitles in the improvement of English vocabulary. The Role of Subtitles in Learning a Second Language: 478 UNIVERSITY OF CHITRAL JOURNAL OF LINGUISTICS AND LITERATURE VOL. 5 | ISSUE II | JULY – DEC | 2021 ISSN (E): 2663-1512, ISSN (P): 2617-3611 https://doi.org/10.33195/jll.v5iII.411 Research Question 1. What is the impact of subtitled videos on the vocabulary of English Language Learners in ninth and tenth grade at high schools in Lahore? Significance of the Study In the subtitled video clips, the speech, and the imagery both works concurrently which increases the speed of learning of the pupil. According to the dual coding theory, the learners and teachers perform well when there is a sum of images and vocabulary together. Videos with subtitles have a tremendous effect on the learning of vocabulary. Vocabulary is indispensable to the language and has a crucial role in language learning and teaching. There are many ways of learning vocabulary. One of them can be reading novels but a plenitude of time is required for memorizing novel words. After memorizing them, they are forgotten if not used frequently. Videos with subtitles are a time taking process but once the participant memorizes them, he/she does not forget them. While focusing on vocabulary building, the pronunciation is also refined by repeated listening and is corrected automatically and then the person uses it right. Therefore, subtitled videos play a significant role in language learning and teaching. It is clear to all the students and teachers of the English foreign language that there is no way for EFL. There are different methods applied in this regard. In the mainstream now we can say that audio-visual material like videos (with and without subtitles) is rich in teaching and learning English as a foreign language. Literature Review The Importance of Vocabulary in Second Language Acquisition In acquiring any language, vocabulary performs an important role. Vocabulary is the key term that is helpful in any language for communication as well as for understanding the language and pronunciation is important in listening if any person does not understand the language, he would not be able to answer in that situation. There is a bundle of research done in learning the second language and especially in learning vocabulary in the second language. And less has been done specifically on pronunciation. However, there are fewer theories that explain the whole process, this process is complex, and it differs according to the context. The literature review would focus on the background knowledge of vocabulary in the second language and its use in the learning process. The focus would be on each bit of vocabulary. Furthermore, the topic, which is discussed by the researcher, learning through subtitles, explores the vision of the learner as it is a greater help while learning vocabulary through subtitles. Vocabulary is the major and main part of learning the language. According to Laufer and Goldstein (2004), words are the basic component of meaning. Words have the authority that they can build the whole comprehension and can make the whole expression of a person. Knowing the different meanings of the word can open different aspects of knowledge and learning for the learners. Laufer and Goldstein (2004) argue that the knowledge of words or lexemes could be described as the total of all the knowledge, the knowledge of speech, pronunciation, the knowledge of words and their meanings, and the way those words can be used. Significance of Input in Foreign Language Learning From an academic angle, input has picked up significance inside the subject of unknown dialect guidance; Ellis (2012) emphasizes the essentialness of info-based arrangement over yield- based instruction for apprentices of a language that have a low phase of skill ability. Low talent learners, in expressions of confined semantic and syntactic comprehension, may not be fit to The Role of Subtitles in Learning a Second Language: 479 UNIVERSITY OF CHITRAL JOURNAL OF LINGUISTICS AND LITERATURE VOL. 5 | ISSUE II | JULY – DEC | 2021 ISSN (E): 2663-1512, ISSN (P): 2617-3611 https://doi.org/10.33195/jll.v5iII.411 efficiently complete sure commitments that are helpful for language production. Consequently, unpractised persons need to acquire satisfactory presentation to second language enter, particularly abroad language newcomers who've compelled exchange with neighbourhood sound framework or increasingly capable clients of the target language. It might be contended that video substances establish rich and adequate contributions for second language learners. Moreover, the oral format of the entry procured from sound unmistakable substances such as recordings and motion pictures might be more prominent and ground-breaking than the contribution from a composing design, together with published substances, for thought processes. Benefits of English Subtitled Videos in Learning Vocabulary Videos with subtitles have been excessively used in language study halls, for different purposes. Three channels add to passing on the substance of subtitled video: the aural channel soundtrack, the verbal-visual channel with captions, and the non-verbal obvious channel, the visual pictures (Austad, 2013). Baltova (1999) out that the concurrent existence of those three channels strengthens adapting more than un-subtitled videos, or writings furnished with going with previews. Yewalle and Bruyker(2007) contend that reading general captions are compulsory conduct with observing visual signs. In an extensively cited watch transfer correspondingly accentuation; just as arguing that even though captions are naturally looked at, the soundtracks likewise are mechanically processed by methods for watchers (Bird & Williams 2002). Active Learning through Subtitles Specialists have considered various gifts of the utilization of subtitled recordings inside the examination room. For instance, Pescosolido (1990) contended that the utilization of recordings might be vital in considering and instructing and featured that fiery becoming acquainted with might be empowered and higher bolstered using broad media materials from the celebrated subculture zone. Then again Champoux(1999) directed educators in regards to using movies inside the investigation room as motion picture scenes may be solid distractions inside the school space for a couple of understudies and the utilization of films in talk rooms can also decrease the time for hypothetical exchanges. Steward et al. (2009) contended that after measurements alluded to in writings aren’t customary with insights found in movies, undergrads tend to remember wrong certainties as opposed to adjusting irregularities in records, which wants to be dealt with cautiously. Methodology Research Design The research design implemented in this study is qualitative. In this regard, the data was collected by two tests i.e., pre-test and post-test from the sample of the study. The participants of the sample are those who learn English as their compulsory subject and have limited knowledge of the English Language. After collecting the data, it was analyzed manually. Data Collection The instruments used for data collection are two types of tests, one is a pre-test, and the other is a post-test. The two tests are taken as a research tool. The pre-test is conducted to gather the previous knowledge of the vocabulary of the learners. The second is the post-test which was taken place when the researcher showed videos with subtitles to the participants. This test was conducted to highlight the comparison as it showed the difference in the knowledge of the vocabulary of the learner of English as a foreign language. The post-test was set in a way that it can be applied to any high school English language learner in Pakistan as the questions were The Role of Subtitles in Learning a Second Language: 480 UNIVERSITY OF CHITRAL JOURNAL OF LINGUISTICS AND LITERATURE VOL. 5 | ISSUE II | JULY – DEC | 2021 ISSN (E): 2663-1512, ISSN (P): 2617-3611 https://doi.org/10.33195/jll.v5iII.411 general according to the film and the basic concept of the magic and imaginary land. The pre-test was taken before they watched the film and at that stage, the answers were on general topics. When they had watched the movie, their vocabulary was taken in comparison to the pre-test. The population of the study is the high schools of Lahore as they study English as their compulsory subject. The researcher has selected participants of both genders i.e., male and female. These learners do not interact with native speakers of English; they do not have exposure in their lives too frequently to communicate with native speakers. The traditions, cultures, and norms of Pakistani society are far away from English society; their language also depicts their values and traditions. Sample Twenty male and female participants were selected who were learners of the English language from the High school level. The age of the participants varied from 13 to 16. The researcher also wanted to make a point that age was also a big factor that influenced learning, as some learners who were elder could have more vocabulary knowledge, but these were very few in quantity. For having fair results through the research, the researcher has selected the same age group. The institutions selected by the researcher have registered schools in the city that were teaching English as a compulsory subject. It should be clear that if the teacher is showing subtitled videos, then s/he should report all the matters to the researcher. Data Analysis The researcher used a qualitative method for data analysis. The tests were analyzed by the description method. The description of extracted words from the pre-test and post-test vocabulary was analyzed by the researcher manually. The results of the pre and post-test were analyzed which provided the results that how much vocabulary was improved by watching a film with subtitles. Data Analysis Pre-Tests Pre-tests were taken to evaluate the prior knowledge of the participants’ vocabulary, which they had before the showing of subtitled videos. Data was gathered from 20 participants, including males and females, aging between 13 to 16 years. All the participants were not deficient in their vocabulary, some had a good grasp but were unable to use it according to the situation. Each participant had to write three essays which were analyzed accordingly. The description consisted of eight rubrics and was extracted through reading the essays. These rubrics consisted of the major mistakes of the participants, which were done in most of the essays, due to which the researcher selected those rubrics. The Role of Subtitles in Learning a Second Language: 481 UNIVERSITY OF CHITRAL JOURNAL OF LINGUISTICS AND LITERATURE VOL. 5 | ISSUE II | JULY – DEC | 2021 ISSN (E): 2663-1512, ISSN (P): 2617-3611 https://doi.org/10.33195/jll.v5iII.411 Figure4.1Highlights of structural mistakes in Figure 4.1 by the participant one Use of Vocabulary After analysing pre-tests, the researcher found that the vocabulary of participants was not so high. They were not using enriched and refined language. Some students were very poor in their vocabulary as they were repeating common words. And some words were used which were not appropriate according to the situation. Vocabulary items were shown through dotted lines; the words were underlined through dotted lines. See Figure 4.1. Frequency of Words The average length of the essay for matriculation level was 200 to 300 words. It was surprising that no participant was reaching this length. Some participants were writing close to the length, and some were below the average. Some participants were not able to write even one hundred words. The researcher selected an essay that was low in frequency. See Figure 4.1. Spelling Mistakes Spelling mistakes were the major issue in all the essays. The participants were weak in their spelling. Some participants made mistakes because of the omission of words; they omitted words sometimes from the initial positions and sometimes from the ending of words. For example, participants wrote “no” instead of “know”, this kind of mistake was common. The other reason for poor spelling was pronunciation problems participants used to spell words according to their pronunciation. One cause was unawareness of sound, and the other was some spellings that were confusing like “on” and “ion” and this created confusion for the participants. The spelling mistakes in the essay were shown by underlining them. See Figure 4.1. Repetition of Words All the participants were repeating vocabulary items in pre-tests. There were many reasons for the repetition. The major reason was less knowledge of vocabulary. Participants were using the The Role of Subtitles in Learning a Second Language: 482 UNIVERSITY OF CHITRAL JOURNAL OF LINGUISTICS AND LITERATURE VOL. 5 | ISSUE II | JULY – DEC | 2021 ISSN (E): 2663-1512, ISSN (P): 2617-3611 https://doi.org/10.33195/jll.v5iII.411 same lexical items repeatedly. The other reason was to improve the frequency of words; they were doing repetition to increase the number of words. In the figure, repetition was shown in the brackets ( ). See Figure 4.1. Use of Tenses Some participants were not using the correct forms of verbs. They were using the first form of the verb in the first part of the sentence and the third form in the latter part of the sentence. Some students wrote verbs that did not even exist in the English language e.g. “thoughted” instead of thought. Incorrect forms of verbs were shown in circles. All the tenses, present, and past, were mixed in many of the essays. Each participant made similar mistakes of tenses as in the example “My mind got boosted when I do gardening”. See Figure 4.1. Understanding of the Concept Some participants were good at understanding the topic of the essay. But some were not clear; they deviated from one concept to another. Many participants made this mistake; they started with their favorite personality and ended up discussing their best friend. Some were having a proper understanding of the concepts, but they were unable to convey that concept that was because of low vocabulary knowledge. See Figure 4.1. Use of Articles Many participants used excessive articles. By excessive it is meant that articles were used where they were not required. In the above figure, the article was not used excessively but there were some essays in which it was used excessively. The researcher used a sign of * where she found the excessive or less usage of articles. See Figure 4.1. Use of Singular Plurals The other major mistake was the use of singular and plurals, participants were not using “s” and “es” correctly. Some participants were confused about using the helping verb to mark singularity and plurality. The sign for singular plurals was {}. See Figure 4.1. Figure4.2. Highlights of grammatical mistakes in Figure 4.2 by the participant two The Role of Subtitles in Learning a Second Language: 483 UNIVERSITY OF CHITRAL JOURNAL OF LINGUISTICS AND LITERATURE VOL. 5 | ISSUE II | JULY – DEC | 2021 ISSN (E): 2663-1512, ISSN (P): 2617-3611 https://doi.org/10.33195/jll.v5iII.411 Use of Vocabulary Vocabulary is the most important factor in language proficiency. To learn a language, learning its vocabulary is considered pivotal. Many cases were found who wanted to learn the second language but were either poor in their vocabulary or if they learned a word with its meaning s/he was unable to use that word. Subtitled videos provided courage to the participants for learning new vocabulary and make them use the words they learned or have in their knowledge. Participants took some time to realize the deficiency in their vocabulary knowledge, but they admitted that if they wanted to learn English as their second language, they would have to learn vocabulary. They were involved enough for learning new vocabulary through video with subtitles. As noted in Figure 4.2. Frequency of Words Some participants tried to increase the number of words in an essay, but they were not close to the average length. As in the first essays of the pre-test, participants were not able to write a good length, the same case was in the second essays of all the participants. One participant was good in his writing style and the length of the essay. He wrote the second essay close to the required length, which had a better frequency of words. The participant tried to write a long essay and he wrote it well. As noted in Figure 4.2. Spelling Mistakes As was discussed above that, Spelling mistakes were the major issue in all the essays. Spelling mistakes were the biggest weakness of all the participants. Some participants committed spelling mistakes even in their post-tests, but the number of mistakes was less. But in this essay, there were far fewer spelling mistakes. As noted in Figure 4.2. Repetition of Words Repetition of words was done in each essay; the researcher already explained the reasons for it. In the post-test repetition was less because at that stage the participants had enough knowledge so that they could use the alternate words. Repetition usually happened to increase the length of the essay. Repetition of words was shown by the sign of brackets (). In this essay, the participant repeated the words like “someone”, “shrilling” etc. As noted in Figure 4.2. Use of Tense Tenses were the mistakes that usually happened while the participants were writing something which involved the difference in time, i.e. the present, past, or future. While talking about something like that, the participants mixed all the tenses and created a mess. They used wrong helping verbs, and incorrect forms of verbs according to the tense. In this essay, there was also a problem in the usage of present and past tense mixtures. As noted in Figure 4.2. Understanding of the Concept When a participant writes something regarding any topic, the topic should be clear in his/her mind so that s/he could give a complete description according to the topic. Some participants were not clear in their concept, they start from one point and ended the work somewhere else. Nonetheless, the participant of this essay was clear in his concept, as he wrote the essay quite coherently. As noted in Figure 4.2. Use of Articles In learning English, articles should be used appropriately. But in the pre-test, the articles were used sparingly. Some participants used the articles in excessive amounts, and some did not The Role of Subtitles in Learning a Second Language: 484 UNIVERSITY OF CHITRAL JOURNAL OF LINGUISTICS AND LITERATURE VOL. 5 | ISSUE II | JULY – DEC | 2021 ISSN (E): 2663-1512, ISSN (P): 2617-3611 https://doi.org/10.33195/jll.v5iII.411 use the articles even when it was required. In the essay given here, for example, the use of the article “a” was more. As noted in Figure 4.2. Use of Singular Plurals The other major mistake was the use of singulars and plurals, participants were not using “s” and “es” correctly. Some participants were confused about using helping verbs regarding singularity and plurality. The sign for singular plurals was {}. Helping verbs were used in this essay according to singular and plurals. As noted in Figure 4.2. Figure 4.3.Highlights of sentence mistakes in Figure 4.3 by participant three Use of Vocabulary In the pre-tests, there was a big problem with vocabulary. Participants while writing pre- tests were using the same vocabulary because they were having less knowledge of vocabulary. The comparison between pre-test and post-test essays was to acquire the knowledge of vocabulary usage. The comparison showed the significance of subtitled videos as they improved the vocabulary knowledge of participants. In the pre-test, participants were not writing the correct pronunciation according to the situation. Teachers should provide new and easy ways of learning vocabulary so that they could improve their learning skills. An example of poor vocabulary was this essay. In this essay the participant used very poor vocabulary; there were only a few words used like “attention”, “attractive”, “magician”, “rubbing” etc. As shown in Figure 4.3. The Role of Subtitles in Learning a Second Language: 485 UNIVERSITY OF CHITRAL JOURNAL OF LINGUISTICS AND LITERATURE VOL. 5 | ISSUE II | JULY – DEC | 2021 ISSN (E): 2663-1512, ISSN (P): 2617-3611 https://doi.org/10.33195/jll.v5iII.411 Frequency of Words Participants were not interested in learning vocabulary to write a good-length essay because they considered essay writing as a boring task and chose to write the length which they could write easily. In such a situation, the frequency of their words was less and not according to the required length. In the essay, in Figure 4.3 the participant was unable to write a good length essay. She settled on writing a long paragraph instead of an essay. As shown in Figure 4.3. Spelling Mistakes Participants were making Spelling mistakes because of homophones as well. Some words sounded like, and the participants were confused about the spelling. For example, in this essay there was a mistake with the “dis” sound usually found in the words “dislike”, and “disagree”. But here the participant was confused because of the sound and used “described” instead of “described”. There were other mistakes as well like “immagne” instead of “imagine” as shown in Figure 4.3. Repetition of Words Repetition of words was done in each essay; the researcher already explained the reasons for repetition. In the post-test, repetition would be less because at that stage the participants would have enough knowledge so that they could use the alternate words. Repetition usually happened to increase the length of the essay. Repetition of words was shown by the sign of brackets (). In this essay there was the repetition of a few words e.g. magician, do, people as shown in Figure 4.3. Use of Tense The participants were not following tenses according to the time. They used present, past, and future helping verbs and incorrect forms of verbs mostly in pre-tests and fewer mistakes in post-tests. Some participants were not sure about the usage of then and than. In this essay, there were mistakes in sentence structure. Sentences were ambiguous and incomplete, as shown in Figure 4.3. Understanding of the Concept The concept was the topic on which the participants had to write an essay; some participants were good enough in their understanding of the concept. Some were not clear about the topic and if they were clear they were unable to jot down it on paper. The concept was clear to the participant as shown in Figure 4.3. Use of Articles The articles in this passage were used according to the situation. In this essay “a” was used more than “the”, as shown in Figure 4.3. Use of Singular Plurals There was a common thing found in all the essays which is the use of singular plurals. Singular plurals could be identified from “s” and “es” and from helping verbs. Those verbs could provide the knowledge of singular plurals, as shown in Figure 4.3. Post-Tests Post-tests were taken to analyze the difference between the previous knowledge of vocabulary and the present knowledge after watching the videos with subtitles. It answered the questions of how much the frequency of participants’ words had increased. It also depicted the diversity of vocabulary learned by the participants through subtitled videos. Participants for the post-test were the same twenty male and female. Three essays of pre-tests were taken from the The Role of Subtitles in Learning a Second Language: 486 UNIVERSITY OF CHITRAL JOURNAL OF LINGUISTICS AND LITERATURE VOL. 5 | ISSUE II | JULY – DEC | 2021 ISSN (E): 2663-1512, ISSN (P): 2617-3611 https://doi.org/10.33195/jll.v5iII.411 participants and three essays’ test was taken for post-test. There was a clear difference found in the results for most participants. Some participants were having good vocabulary learned to use vocabulary to make sentence structure reduce repetition and learn the usage of articles and singular plurals. Figure 4.11Improvement of vocabulary in Figure 4.11 by participant one The Role of Subtitles in Learning a Second Language: 487 UNIVERSITY OF CHITRAL JOURNAL OF LINGUISTICS AND LITERATURE VOL. 5 | ISSUE II | JULY – DEC | 2021 ISSN (E): 2663-1512, ISSN (P): 2617-3611 https://doi.org/10.33195/jll.v5iII.411 Use of vocabulary After the analysis of the pre-tests when the researcher analyzed the post-test, she found a difference in vocabulary. Post-tests were having rich vocabulary than pre-tests. As in this essay, the participant used more vocabulary items than pre-tests e.g., climbs, mountains, tragedies, imaginary, interested, exploring, capped, adventuresome, favourite, planned, etc. See Figure 4.11. Frequency of Words The word limit in the post-test was better than in the pre-tests. In the pre-test, there was only one participant who reached near the length of 200 words but in the post-test, almost all the participants wrote their essays according to the required length. See Figure 4.11. Spelling Mistakes This was the major problem found in pre-tests as well as in post-tests. This was the problem that took the most time to overcome. Participants in the post-test were also doing spelling mistakes, but the last essays they wrote were not having more spelling mistakes. For example, in this essay the participants wrote the spellings of many words wrong e.g., climbes was written instead of climbs, the rear was written instead of real, favurite was written instead of favourite, etc. See Figure 4.11. Repetition of Words There was repetition in some post-tests, but it was not excessively done in this essay some words like hill station were repeated but it was because of the topic of the essay since it revolved around such words. See Figure 4.11. Use of Tense The subtitled videos were good enough for participants that they improved their tense mistakes, they tried to copy the style of how the characters in the films were speaking in this way first consciously and then unconsciously they followed the correct tenses. In this essay, there was no tense mistake found by the researcher. See Figure 4.11. Understanding of the Concept The participant was good in her understanding of the concept of the topic. It was well written by the participant. The topic was “A visit to a hill station” and it was explained well. There were different places discussed in the essay which beautify the scenery. See Figure 4.11. Use of Articles Articles were used appropriately, “the” was used more than “a” in this essay. See Figure 4.11. Use of Singular Plurals In pre-tests, singular and plurals were one of the major issues, in this essay “s” was used correctly but there was one mistake by the researcher she did not use “es” correctly with “climb”, where “s” should be used instead of “es”. See Figure 4.11. The Role of Subtitles in Learning a Second Language: 488 UNIVERSITY OF CHITRAL JOURNAL OF LINGUISTICS AND LITERATURE VOL. 5 | ISSUE II | JULY – DEC | 2021 ISSN (E): 2663-1512, ISSN (P): 2617-3611 https://doi.org/10.33195/jll.v5iII.411 The Role of Subtitles in Learning a Second Language: 489 UNIVERSITY OF CHITRAL JOURNAL OF LINGUISTICS AND LITERATURE VOL. 5 | ISSUE II | JULY – DEC | 2021 ISSN (E): 2663-1512, ISSN (P): 2617-3611 https://doi.org/10.33195/jll.v5iII.411 Figure 4.12Highlights the usage of vocabulary in Figure 4.12 by participants two Use of Vocabulary Vocabulary was the major issue for the learners of English as a second language; if they learned a vocabulary item, they were unable to use that word in their conversation. After learning through subtitled videos, participants were able to use new words in their essays. For example, in this essay the participant used many words like important, promoting, knowledge, libraries, different, problem, afford, borrow, valuable, famous, complex, comfortable, architectural, cultural, diversity, glory, located, constructed, culture, inconvenient, etc. As shown the Figure 4.12. Frequency of Words The frequency of words was improved in these essays. This essay consisted of 270 words which was the required length. As shown the Figure 4.12. Spelling Mistakes Some of them were good at their spelling mistakes and after making their focus on spelling, they were good at their spelling. This participant was good in her spelling and did not make any spelling mistakes. As shown the Figure 4.12. Repetition of Words There was repetition in some post-tests, but it was not excessively done. In all the essays only, a few words were repeated which were the keywords of the essay. As shown the Figure 4.12. Use of Tense The use of tense was improved from pre-test essays. The tenses used in this essay were correct; the participant did not do any mistakes in this regard. As shown the Figure 4.12. Understanding of the Concept The understanding of concepts was clear in most of this essay. The topic was about the library, and it was written very well. The choice of words was correct, and the concept was written clearly and to the point. There were references to different libraries given by the participants. As shown the Figure 4.12. The Role of Subtitles in Learning a Second Language: 490 UNIVERSITY OF CHITRAL JOURNAL OF LINGUISTICS AND LITERATURE VOL. 5 | ISSUE II | JULY – DEC | 2021 ISSN (E): 2663-1512, ISSN (P): 2617-3611 https://doi.org/10.33195/jll.v5iII.411 Use of Articles The participant used articles in this essay excessively. She used “the” and “a” in each line which was not required. As shown the Figure 4.12. Use of Singular Plurals In this essay, the singular plurals were used correctly in this essay for example comes, plays, libraries, looks, types, prices, books, etc. As shown the Figure 4.12. The Role of Subtitles in Learning a Second Language: 491 UNIVERSITY OF CHITRAL JOURNAL OF LINGUISTICS AND LITERATURE VOL. 5 | ISSUE II | JULY – DEC | 2021 ISSN (E): 2663-1512, ISSN (P): 2617-3611 https://doi.org/10.33195/jll.v5iII.411 The Role of Subtitles in Learning a Second Language: 492 UNIVERSITY OF CHITRAL JOURNAL OF LINGUISTICS AND LITERATURE VOL. 5 | ISSUE II | JULY – DEC | 2021 ISSN (E): 2663-1512, ISSN (P): 2617-3611 https://doi.org/10.33195/jll.v5iII.411 Figure 4.13 Improvement of frequency in figure 4.13 by participant three Use of Vocabulary The use of vocabulary in this essay was improved from the pre-tests e.g., interested, inspired, glory, power, adventure, adventuresome, excited, overjoyed, destination, enthusiastic, breath-taking, phenomenal, pleasant, expensive, beauty, etc. As indicated in Figure 4.13. Frequency of Words The frequency of words was improved; the word length was 300 words which was the target length of a matriculation level essay. As indicated in Figure 4.13. Spelling Mistakes There were very few mistakes of spelling in the post-test essay as in this essay the participant wrote “capid” instead of writing capped. As indicated in Figure 4.13. Repetition of Words Repetition of words was less in post-test essays. As indicated in Figure 4.13. Use of Tense The use of tense was improved from pre-test essays. The tenses used in this essay were correct; the participant did not make any mistake in this regard. The essay was described well as a story. As indicated in Figure 4.13. Understanding of the Concept The concept of this essay was clear to the participants. As indicated in Figure 4.13. Use of Articles The articles were used appropriately in this essay. The participant was aware of where to use the articles, and where to use definite articles and indefinite articles. As indicated in Figure 4.13. Use of Singular Plurals In this essay, the participant did use correct singular plurals. The participant used the helping verb according to the subject and it was used correctly that with plurals the verb was plural and with singular, it was singular for example, “A hill station is a village or a town high up in the hills”. The other example from“s” and “es” was peaking, seems, makes, etc. As indicated in Figure 4.13. Discussion In most of the essays in the pre-test participants were unable to follow the required length of essays. Participants were writing the essays, but they were not focusing on the frequency as their vocabulary was not so high. It was about all the participants; only one or two participants could write the essays closer to the requirement. While writing the essays after watching the subtitled videos on daily basis, subtitles helped the participants to make them able to write more as the pictures which were shown while analysing clear the point. They were having more content and their frequency increased. This process was time taking as it was shown clearly by the analysis that when the participants started watching videos, their improvement was slow but when this process was continued, and participants were used to it than their results were satisfying and there was a rapid improvement by the participants. The frequency of the first post-test essay and the last post-test essay is clearly shown in the picture. In a comparison of pre-test essays, all the post-test essays were having a good frequency. The Role of Subtitles in Learning a Second Language: 493 UNIVERSITY OF CHITRAL JOURNAL OF LINGUISTICS AND LITERATURE VOL. 5 | ISSUE II | JULY – DEC | 2021 ISSN (E): 2663-1512, ISSN (P): 2617-3611 https://doi.org/10.33195/jll.v5iII.411 Conclusion There was the following research question was set to study this research. The research question was what is the impact of subtitled videos on the vocabulary of English Language Learners in ninth and tenth grade at high school in Lahore? The difference between the results of pre-tests and post-tests clearly shows the impact of subtitles on learners. The qualitative research method was used in this research. The data was collected from twenty male and female participants from two schools in Lahore. The result shows that there was an improvement in vocabulary knowledge, frequency, and Spelling mistakes. There was also improvement in grammatical mistakes and singular plurals. Subtitles can reinforce the understanding of expressions that are context-bound in the English language. Learners learn the understanding of meanings that are according to the context as a word can have multiple meanings and they are used individually and have different meanings according to the context. Captions make the participants learn those meaning which are context- bound. Subtitles also help in acquiring new words and help in learning idioms of the English language. Subtitles also make the students understand the humour of the English language to the participants as this was difficult to understand for the participants without subtitles. When students can understand the humour of a second language, the environment of the class will be easy and enjoyable for the students and the teacher. The other point is that subtitles can help the students to enhance their concentration because if they will lose their concentration, they will not be able to read subtitles. For that purpose, they will develop a strong habit of learning with concentration. Contributions of the Study The research contributes to the present body of its knowledge because of its findings. This research gives a useful perspective for learning English as a second language. This is the age of electronics and students should be provided with new and easier ways of learning in the fields where they have an interest. The researcher tried to highlight the education system through her study as this system follows rote memorization for students till the matriculation level. The researcher considers rote memorization inappropriate and unproductive for the students who do not do rote memorization. According to the researcher, it destroys the creativity of a student. Subtitles give knowledge of vocabulary to the students so that they can use the words and write in their language. Rote memorization weakens the vocabulary of students as they do not try to learn vocabulary items. Subtitles help to develop the vocabulary of the students; they encounter new words some from their own culture and some from another region. I discussed the problems students face while learning a second language from books, I took pre-tests for previous knowledge and then post-tests after making them watch subtitled videos to show the problems and subtitles as their solution to those problems. While I was doing research, I pointed out different rubrics which were the basic problems for the learner, and in post-tests, it was shown that many of the problems could be solved through subtitles. Subtitles not only enhance the vocabulary knowledge of the students but also improve their grammar, pronunciation, and communication skills of students. The researcher pointed out that this activity has been considered a pedagogically solid activity and reinforcing this exercise can create some more activities related to the English The Role of Subtitles in Learning a Second Language: 494 UNIVERSITY OF CHITRAL JOURNAL OF LINGUISTICS AND LITERATURE VOL. 5 | ISSUE II | JULY – DEC | 2021 ISSN (E): 2663-1512, ISSN (P): 2617-3611 https://doi.org/10.33195/jll.v5iII.411 language. For example, it can give different vocabulary exercises like fill in the blanks, grammatical exercises, etc. Directions for Future Research This study will hopefully provide future researchers with the benefit as this study did not cover many aspects that future researchers can study. Following directions can be helpful to explore related fields. 1. Future researchers can work on this topic by addressing teachers as they are the ones who implement ways of teaching in classrooms. 2. The researcher used pre-tests and post-tests for this study, but other researchers can use questionnaires and surveys in this regard. They also can take interviews with participants from students and teachers as well. 3. Improvement in spelling mistakes from subtitled videos is the vast domain to study in English. As this study just touches this area but could not do justice to this vast domain so future researchers can work on this domain also. 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PortaLinguarum: revistainternacional de didáctica de laslenguasextranjeras, (6), 4. @ 2021 by the author. Licensee University of Chitral, Journal of Linguistics & Literature, Pakistan. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).