Abstract
M.A. (Applied Linguistics)
In many fan communities, being able to learn the language of the fandom is a badge
of honour that speaks to one’s level of dedication and, as a rule of thumb, only the
most fervent fans ever reach this level. The anime fan (otaku) community is an
example of this albeit with one striking difference: a multitude – instead of just a select
few – master some Japanese. Anyone who has spent time in the company of otakus
can attest to having heard the almost ubiquitous claim that ‘I learnt Japanese from
watching anime’. This begs the question, what makes otakus or the anime they watch
so effective? A non-professional form of subtitling, namely fansubbing, may be the
answer. Fansubs exhibit features that are not present, and oftentimes even avoided
in prosubs (professional subtitles). The researcher believes these stylistic differences
may make fansubs more effective for language learning. However, simply because
fansubs are prevalent does not necessarily mean that otakus are being exposed to
them and, accordingly, that their language learning can be attributed to this. To
determine whether otakus are consuming fansubbed anime, and to gain an
understanding of their viewing habits and sociolinguistic context, the first phase of the
research consisted of an online questionnaire that was completed by 474 otakus from
across the world. The data shows that otakus who learnt some Japanese from
watching anime are being exposed to fansubs in varying degrees and, accordingly,
that the features of fansubbing could potentially have an influence on language
learning. On the other hand, their viewing behaviour also points to the approach to
media consumption being an underlying influence. Fansubbing requires a greater level
of engagement in the meaning making process that may lead to otakus engaging with
anime in a way other media users do not. In order to more concretely determine if
fansubbing may be responsible for the perceived language learning, the second phase
of the research consisted of an experiment that tested prosubbing and fansubbing’s
effectiveness for vocabulary acquisition. In total, 55 respondents took part in this
experiment and the data indicates that fansubbing (in particular linear notes and ST
words) is more effective for language learning.