How to Learn Languages Through Animes and Cartoons Properly

Ricardo F. Bernardi 6 26 454
Hello, my friends.

Welcome to English Experts
The sanctuary where knowledge is not a simple dessert.


I know I am not good at rhymes. :)

Anyway, I would like to talk about the English learning through animes (the Japanese animated series) and cartoons.
Oops... I almost forgot that we also have another category: the amerimes or pseudoanimes (anime-influenced animations).

First of all, everytime when you start to watch them, think carefully about what kind of English stuff you would like to study and achieve. There are a lot of Informal English vocabulary in most of animated series. Of course, if you want to work at a law department or in a petrochemical industry, you should enroll
At a technical English school in order to update your knowledge.

We use the Formal English when writing essays for school, cover letters to apply for jobs, or emails and letters at work. The Informal English is used when we are with friends, children, and relatives.

According to communication experts, the best animated series genres to help anyone to increase the vocabulary are: romance, action, comedy, drama and documentaries. Romance is the best genre to study from, specially when the characters are high school or older. In experts' opinion, a realist setting of an animated series gives more reality to the dialogue used, which means more application in real life. You can study through horror movies, however, it will be only useful in more bad ways (like bullying or how to threaten others) than good ways (such as doing formal requests, sending emails, givng academic talks and making presentations).

Many children’s cartoons focus on social interactions, so you can hear some real world conversations and phrases. Children’s cartoons use words that are simple enough for low level English learners to understand, but also throw in plenty of challenging new words for more advanced learners. If you’re watching a show for very young children, these shows are often repetitive—they repeat words, phrases and even whole sentence structures. They’re usually short, about 20 minutes long. Sometimes each episode is split into two halves of 10 minutes each. There are cartoons that are made specifically for learning new words and phrases! Cartoons, animes and amerimes are perfect if you’re looking for a fun way to learn. And speaking of fun… They’re fun to watch!

Another reason to learn English by this way is because the voice actors on cartoons enunciate clearly. That means they pronounce their words well so that everyone can understand them. If that is the case, you can practice your listening skills, trying to type or write what you listen to. It serves

You can watch the following recommended cartoon series on Youtube, PBS Kids, Hulu, Netflix, Qubo TV, Fluent U, Vudu, Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon.
You can also find them on some websites like: Watch Cartoon Online (http://www.watchcartoononline.io) or 9 Anime (https://9anime.to/).

Here is a list of recommendations:

1st - [anime] KUROSHITSUJI - BLACK BUTLER

Black Butler is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yana Toboso. Since its debut on September 16, 2006, it has been serialized in Square Enix's shōnen manga magazine Monthly GFantasy. On January 1, 2009, a limited edition DVD containing the first episode was released by Aniplex, a Japanese anime and music production owned by Sony Music Entertainment Japan. If you want to learn a more formal English, you should watch it. The story is about the treacherous relationship between a demon butler called Sebastian Michaelis and his master, Ciel Phantomhive, a 12-year-old earl. The fans can also get along with Indian accent thanks to some characters like Mina, Soma and Agni.

2nd - cartoon DEXTER'S LABORATORY

Dexter is a boy genius with a secret laboratory where he invents all kinds of amazing technologies. If his sister Dee Dee doesn’t destroy them all first! “Dexter’s Lab” doesn’t teach words but Dexter is extremely smart and he talks like it, using bigger and more complicated words (and a German accent!).

3rd - amerime AVATAR - THE LAST AIRBENDER / LEGEND OF KORRA

Avatar: The Last Airbender and Legend of Korra are fantastic amerimes. Avatar tells an epic story about a divided nation at war and a young boy who has the power to stop the fighting and bring peace to the land. It’s a wonderful show that’s loved by both kids and adults, and it has lots of conversations and plenty of action — and some silly moments, of course. Best of all, it has an interesting story that will keep you wanting to watch more.

4th - anime GUNDAM

If you are a fan of Ghost in the Shell, Neo Genesis Evangelion, Macross, Patlabor, Code Geass and so on, you will love Gundam series due to its high-quality and inumerous tech vocabulary. Gundam is a science fiction media franchise created by Sunrise that features giant robots (or "mecha") called "mobile suits", with titular mobile suits that carry the name "Gundam." However, the discussion about politics and strategies is one of the best topics presented in the animated franchise.

5th - cartoon PHINEAS AND FERB

Phineas and Ferb are half brothers who are having one crazy summer adventure. Every episode follows the same formula, so it’s easy to keep up with, and it repeats a lot of the same phrases and words. Sometimes they even break into song! Phineas and Ferb are always doing creative and scientific things that people tell them they shouldn’t do because they’re too young. It’s a good reminder that you can do anything if you try hard enough — a good thing to remember when you’re learning English!

TIPS:

1- After you pick you cartoon show or movie, stick it to your level or slightly above your level. You may get discouraged and even burn out if you do not choose correctly. Some people choose shows that are too difficult. Perhaps they have a large appetite and want to make lots of progress quickly. Or perhaps they overestimate the time it takes to learn from these shows. The problem with choosing shows that are too difficult is that the short-term progress usually takes longer than people expect.

2- Try to find something entertaining and useful.

3 - Build a vocabulary list and use it effectively to learn more. You can’t just watch a show and expect to learn much from it. Immersion works, but active studying accelerates that process. There are a few ways to learn from your list such as re-watch and review your favorite cartoon, create sentences and paragraphs and be careful to not get caught up in the show instead of studying. Discipline is a keyword. Make sure that you don’t overwork yourself. If you find that using your favorite shows to study makes them less enjoyable, then consider studying from less interesting shows so you can keep enjoying the ones you love. You can ask for someone to prepare some tests based on the shows you appreciate so much.

4- Why don't you play your favorite character's role? The more you get into the role, the faster you learn. You can get the transcript of an episode and try to play your favorite scene. If you prefer you can record it and watch later in order to correct your mistakes. If you just want to repeat and record it, it is good enough. Do not get ashamed to show your performance to your family or friends, specially those who are graduated in language studies.

5- If you don't appreciate romance so much and you are an English beginner student, choose action animated series. There is no clue what is being spoken at all. Do not push yourself at the beginning. You will miss other genres anyway and you will start looking for them. However, psychological and real life dramas are essential because someday you will need to organize your ideas before discussing or, even arguing with someone. There are many situations at the workplace that can cause people to lose their patience. The important thing is how to keep yours before you lose your job or a great opportunity.

6- Enjoy the cartoon for what it is. If you believe it is wonderful for your learning, go ahead. Ask for a specialist's opinion before you dive right in it. The information here is also useful for anyone who is learning Portuguese or any other Neo-Latin languages.

REFERENCES:

(1) GEIKHMAN, Yulika. Hilarious and Entertaining: The 13 Best Cartoons for Learning English. In: http://www.fluentu.com/education/. 2015.
(2) HEINING-BOYTON, Audrey L. Keys to success for English learning learners. UNC Schoolf of Education. 2013.
(3) PERKINS, D.N.; SALOMON, G. Transfer of Learning". International Encyclopedia of Education. 1992.
(4) SHULMAN, Robert G. Neuroscience: A Multidisciplinary, Multilevel Field - Brain Imaging: What it Can (and Cannot) Tell Us About Consciousness. Oxford University Press. 2013.
(5) WILLIAMS, Edwin B. From Latin to Portuguese, Historical Phonology and Morphology of the Portuguese Language. 2nd ed. University of Pennsylvania. 1968.

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