English Proficiency and English Exposure in the Media. A comparative study between countries with high and low English exposure

Abstract

The aim of this essay is to demonstrate the differences between countries that are exposed to English, and countries that are not exposed to English in the media. The English exposure in the media of Iceland and Hungary are presented as examples of countries with a different amount of English exposure. The research on the English exposure of these two countries illustrates that Icelanders are more exposed to English than Hungarians and that Icelanders are more proficient in English. A study was conducted on the English exposure of subjects from 11 different countries, and the subjects’ view on their English proficiency. In the second part of the essay the results of the survey are examined. Subjects were divided into two groups: Those from Scandinavian countries and Holland represented high English exposure and from Hungary, France, Spain and Italy represents those countries that have a minimal exposure to English. Both the comparison of English exposure in the two countries and the survey’s result supports the idea that those countries that are more exposed to English in the media have a higher proficiency of English users than those countries that are not, or have a smaller amount of exposure to English. Unfortunately there is not enough evidence that would support the idea that one could acquire a foreign language only by being exposed to English from the media; however this field has plenty of potential for further studies in the future.