Having a discussion with a large group of people yesterday when the topic of watching english language movies with the english subtitles active was discussed. To my surprise, three people in the group (there were 11 of us) admitted they do this regularly at home whether watching digital streaming/downloaded movies or DVDs/Blu-Rays. When questioned, the three said that while they don't need the subtitles all the time, they often find a brief scene or line of dialog can't be understood unless the subtitles are active. They also revealed that they have trouble understanding the speech of certain actors, though strangely they all disagreed about the actors they found difficult to understand.
Now, I fully admit that even as a film fan, I've had trouble with many foreign english language films where the accents cause problems and I need some assistance. Such as British or Australian films, for example. But even then, I find I can get by without and CONTEXT can often communicate meaning. The "language" of film itself - through dramatic editing, music and scene - often communicates far more than the dialog. Listening to North American films, I wouldn't think the frequency of unclear spoken dialog is so great that subtitles are needed for the whole movie. But apparently for some, it is an issue. So I'm curious how prevalent this is.
So I ask you all, do you often need subtitles to understand films spoken in your native language?
Now, I fully admit that even as a film fan, I've had trouble with many foreign english language films where the accents cause problems and I need some assistance. Such as British or Australian films, for example. But even then, I find I can get by without and CONTEXT can often communicate meaning. The "language" of film itself - through dramatic editing, music and scene - often communicates far more than the dialog. Listening to North American films, I wouldn't think the frequency of unclear spoken dialog is so great that subtitles are needed for the whole movie. But apparently for some, it is an issue. So I'm curious how prevalent this is.
So I ask you all, do you often need subtitles to understand films spoken in your native language?