Abstract:
Television serves as a prominent means of communication in contemporary society, with the capacity to transmit information to any person. Among them, cartoons designed for young children hold a unique position due to their potential to impact behavioural patterns, attitudes, and language usage in children. This investigative study aims to study the linguistic content such as vocabulary and language usage of contemporary cartoon programmes, to engage in a comparative analysis of the quality of Sinhala language in cartoon programmes telecasted in the early era and contemporary cartoon programmes, and to find out whether contemporary cartoons have had a detectable effect on the language use of children in comparison to early cartoons. To this, a sample of cartoon programmes aired on popular TV channels will be examined, utilising cluster sampling as the preferred sampling method. Primary data will be collected through a sample of parents who have children aged from 5-10 years and one hundred children. To ensure data accuracy, a stratified random sampling technique will be employed. Questionnaires will be utilised to gather responses from parents, while simple language assessments will be used to gather data on children's language proficiency and communication skills. Then, data gathered from these sources will be analysed to draw comprehensive conclusions. Additionally, secondary data will be gathered from relevant literature, including books, magazines, articles, and internet sources regarding language use in early television programmes. This study will provide a clear understanding of the contribution of television channels to language development, and it is also expected to accurately identify the impact of contemporary cartoon programmes on children's language abilities.
