The influence of audio-visual media on children's language

The aim of this bachelor's thesis is to examine how children understand their favourite audiovisual programmes and the linguistic means used in them, as well as how these programmes and their linguistic features influence children's language and communication. The theoretical part focuses on the age of the respondents, specifically preschool age. It further summarises existing research on the influence of media on children and on programme viewership. The core of the thesis is a case study of a Czech-speaking child aged three. The primary methods of data collection included recordings of conversations between the mother and the child about his favourite audiovisual programme, as well as a recording of joint viewing of a selected part of the programme followed by a discussion and additional complementary activities. These activities were aimed at assessing comprehension of the plot and the description of characters and objects appearing in the programme. The collected material was analysed to determine how the child understands the linguistic means used and whether, and in what ways, these programmes influence the child's language acquisition. Key words: Language acquisition, preschool age, influence of audiovisual media on language, children, media, Czech language, vocabulary