Forrest Gump: movie and novel as linguistic and cultural material

This article presents rich linguistic and cultural material from Winston Groom’s novel Forrest Gump and the movie of the same title rather loosely based on the events in the book. Both works can be used as a whole or in portions in the classroom with the learners of English as a second language depending on their competence and purpose. As it often happens, the popularity, commercial success and cultural impact produced by the movie has easily overshadowed that of the book. While the movie Forrest Gump is regarded as one of the best movies of all time, and the way director Robert Zemeckis adapted the story is highly praised, one might assume that if it were not for the movie, the novel and its author would have remained relatively obscure till this day. As for educational aims, the novel would better suit for students majoring in English and senior linguists whereas the movie can be turned into a useful tool in any audience.