Cartoons for language learners
Curated comprehensible input
On Wednesday we talked about how important comprehensible input is to language acquisition, and how it works.
The Bilingual Bridge books are a great example of this kind of input. There are so many others out there, but it takes quite a bit of wading through the junk to find them, and the next thing you know it’s 45 minutes later and you’re lost in the interwebs and calling for snacks.
To save you that enjoyable but ultimately inefficient trip, I’ll be sending out curated links for you. First up, some cartoons.
This Spanish fairy tales channel has over 650 videos. They all seem to adhere to a consistent style.
Here’s one in which a princess needs to clean up her gigantic walk-in closet. The struggle is real!
Narrated in a male voice with a European Spanish accent
Moving colourful animations
English subtitles at the bottom of the screen
The Nickelodeon France YouTube station has thousands of videos in French. Pick a show you are already familiar with, that doesn’t rely too heavily on witty banter.
I recommend Kung Fu Panda.
It’s action-heavy, so the dialogue has plenty of space around it for your brain to catch up
The plots are simple and easy to follow
Only the auto-generated French subtitles are enabled; no English translations.
The YouTube channel Mondo World IT has 980 animated videos in Italian, so there’s something for everyone.
Check out this 1990’s animated series Cinderella
There are 26 episodes (each about 20 minutes), so you can get hooked and binge watch it all.
Only the auto-generated Italian subtitles are enabled; no English translations.
What are some of your favourite sources for comprehensible input? Leave us a comment.
Feeling the new year call to self-improvement? Well, first of all you’re perfect exactly as you are in this moment.
Second, I’d be quite happy to sell you a copy of one of my bilingual books for adult language learners.
Bilingual Bridge: Classic Science Fiction Stories for Beginners
Bilingual Bridge: Classic Fairy Tales for Intermediate Readers
Cartoons are great. Having Cartoon Network on for hours everyday when I was growing up helped me acquire the language better than classroom studies would've facilitated. No dubs, no subs, just pure fun.