Audio Description in English Language Teaching. Improving language and critical thinking skills

Abstract

Over the past decades, the emerging multi-faceted nature of Audio Description (AD) has made this modality of Audiovisual Translation (AVT) highly serviceable for sighted persons with different needs. Experimentation on AD has moved on to investigate its emotive dimension, the concept of creativity, the linguistic and semantic functions of descriptions and, more recently, its pedagogical potential in Foreign Language Education (FLE) environments to improve students' language skills. The paper draws inspiration from the aforementioned research advancements and is part of an ongoing study on the impact of AD in FLE with students of English, with the aim of validating its effects on writing production skills through active involvement. The analysis will be carried out by following a complementary methodology based on the "Appraisal" theory from Michael Halliday's systemic functional grammar model.