Although cartoons are entertaining and worldwide appreciated, studies have demonstrated that they are not neutral, and are likely to convey messages about society linguistic ideologies. This study aims to find out if Disney animated films released in 2016 use accents to express the nature of the characters. A discourse analysis is conducted with two animated films produced by Disney Studios to examine the language choices concerning accent use. Results show that these films convey language ideologies in animated cartoons through the use of accents, and the portrayal of these accents can reproduce and sustain language-based stereotypes of the groups who used these accents. The study also aims to raise awareness of second language teachers on how animated films might influence learners’ attitudes towards language learning.
","abstract_html":"<p>Although cartoons are entertaining and worldwide appreciated, studies have demonstrated that they are not neutral, and are likely to convey messages about society linguistic ideologies. This study aims to find out if Disney animated films released in 2016 use accents to express the nature of the characters. A discourse analysis is conducted with two animated films produced by Disney Studios to examine the language choices concerning accent use. Results show that these films convey language ideologies in animated cartoons through the use of accents, and the portrayal of these accents can reproduce and sustain language-based stereotypes of the groups who used these accents. The study also aims to raise awareness of second language teachers on how animated films might influence learners’ attitudes towards language learning.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Soares, Telma O."],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Arts in Teaching","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":"English","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Julia Stakhnevich (chair)
Alexandra Dema
Anne E. Doyle
"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2017,"date_issued":"2017-08-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2017-08-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:22:00Z","subjects":["Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education","Linguistic stereotypes","Language ideologies","animated films"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://vc.bridgew.edu/theses/53","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Julia Stakhnevich (chair)
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Anne E. Doyle
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"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Animated Films and Linguistic Stereotypes: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Accent Use in Disney Animated Films"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Julia Stakhnevich (chair)
Alexandra Dema
Anne E. Doyle
"],"dc:creator":["Soares, Telma O."],"dc:date.available":["2017-07-14T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Although cartoons are entertaining and worldwide appreciated, studies have demonstrated that they are not neutral, and are likely to convey messages about society linguistic ideologies. This study aims to find out if Disney animated films released in 2016 use accents to express the nature of the characters. A discourse analysis is conducted with two animated films produced by Disney Studios to examine the language choices concerning accent use. Results show that these films convey language ideologies in animated cartoons through the use of accents, and the portrayal of these accents can reproduce and sustain language-based stereotypes of the groups who used these accents. The study also aims to raise awareness of second language teachers on how animated films might influence learners’ attitudes towards language learning.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://vc.bridgew.edu/theses/53"],"dc:subject":["Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education","Linguistic stereotypes","Language ideologies","animated films"],"dc:title":["Animated Films and Linguistic Stereotypes: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Accent Use in Disney Animated Films"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["English"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Arts in Teaching"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:22:00Z"}