From Ringside to Fluency: The Impact of WWE Commentary on Pronunciation Development
บทคัดย่อ
This study explores how shadowing emotionally expressive media, specifically WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) commentary, can support English pronunciation development among EFL learners. Drawing on Krashen’s Input Hypothesis and Imitation Theory, the research employs a narrative-based, self-exploratory design conducted over 16 weeks. Through systematic shadowing of WWE broadcasts, weekly audio recordings, and reflective journaling, the study documents gradual improvements in consonant articulation, word stress, and prosodic features such as rhythm, pitch variation, and expressive fluency. High-energy segments of commentary were particularly effective in enhancing speech confidence and reducing hesitation, suggesting that emotionally engaging input may facilitate natural and fluent speech production. While results were promising, the single-participant design limits generalizability. Future research with more participants, objective assessment tools, and varied media formats is recommended to build on and validate these findings.
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