Significantly, a number of researchers (Vanderplank, 1988; Garza, 1991; Danan, 1992; Borrás and Lafayette, 1994) have claimed the value, particularly for vocabulary retention, of video input with target-language subtitles.

Research findings from North America (Danan, 1992) suggest that L1 subtitles are more likely to hinder, rather than help, the retention by learners of target-language items.

These findings appear to support Schmidt's (1990) Noticing Hypothesis (see Module 2), which claims that merely being exposed to meaningful input is not enough to drive second language acquisition; significant attention needs to be drawn to meaningful target-language forms before they are likely to be acquired.

Showing video with target-language subtitles, particularly after students have worked on top-down processing with images only, can be a very useful exercise to reinforce bottom-up processing and language development.