British animated TV series “Peppa Pig” has achieved global success over the last few years. In the US, some parents are saying their children have been adopting Peppa’s charming British accent and vocabulary after watching the cartoon, calling their mothers “mummy” or asking their parents to “snuggle” with them instead of to “hug” them. Parents are dubbing the phenomenon the “Peppa effect.”
However, New York University associate professor Susannah Levi said that she is doubtful that this is what is actually happening because, she says, “typically, you would develop the accent of the community around you.” For example, a toddler with British parents living in the US will most likely have an American accent. It is, however, possible that kids are learning to mimic individual words from the show, she told the Guardian last week.
The pink pig, known as “Pei Pei Zhu” in Taiwan and “Xiao Zhu Pei Qi” in China, is a superstar to many young children. There is also an “I love Peppa Pig” lantern area in the 2019 Taipei Lantern Festival, which this year celebrates the Year of the Pig.
Photo: Chen Chih-chu, Liberty Times
照片︰自由時報記者陳志曲
(Eddy Chang, Taipei Times)
來自英國的電視動畫《粉紅豬小妹》（佩佩豬）近年來風靡全球，在美國有些家長宣稱，他們的孩子看了節目，講話出現佩佩豬迷人的英國腔，以及習慣用語。例如叫他們的母親「mummy」，或要父母擁抱時說「snuggle」，而非「hug」，家長將此現象稱為「佩佩豬效應」。
然而，紐約大學副教授蘇珊娜李維對此表示懷疑，因為「典型而言，你會發展出所在社群的口音。」舉例來說，若幼童和英國父母住在美國，那他最有可能形成美式口音。她上週還對《衛報》說，孩童可能只是在模仿劇中個別的單字而已。
這頭粉紅色小豬在台灣被稱為「佩佩豬」，在中國叫作「小豬佩奇」，可說是兒童界的超級巨星。正在進行中的二○一九年台北燈節亦設立了「我愛佩佩豬」展區，藉以慶祝豬年。
(台北時報張聖恩)
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