When searching for different resources to use for learning or teaching a language I often try to find children's television shows in the target language. There are several good reasons for this. Children are language learners themselves--first language learners--so programs made for them often have simpler language compared to programs made for adults. These types of shows also tend not to be as dialogue driven, instead using strong visuals to move the story along. These visuals make it easier to understand the story without having to necessarily understand all of the dialogue. Also, programs for children tend to be very short, sometimes just a five to ten minute long clip. This makes it easier to rewatch several times to assist in learning. Lastly, children's programs that are made in the country of the target language tend to be a good way to learn the culture of the language, and there is a strong connection between language and culture.
One thing I hope to be able to do on this blog is share resources like children's shows that I find so that anyone who wants to study that language can access them. So the other day I was trying to find some TV programs in Slovak. If you were to try a similar search, you would likely find a lot of programs in Czech, but not in Slovak. The reason for this is that back when the Czech and Slovak republics were one country, most of the programs produced were in Czech, and the Slovaks simply watched them in Czech. This isn't necessarily that big of a deal since both languages are fairly similar, though they are certainly different enough to be considered separate languages.
My search ultimately led me to the delightful "Pat a Mat." The two main characters are named Pat and Mat, which means "stalemate" and "checkmate." The "a" in between just means "and." It is technically a Czech program (though since it was considered subversive, during its early years it was produced in Bratislava, Slovakia). Beyond the opening and closing credits though, there is no dialogue, so it really makes little difference which country it was produced in. Basically, the stop-motion animation show is about two handymen: Pat and Mat. Each episode features them trying to solve some sort of problem, often one that is self-created since they both are a little bit clumsy. They spend the rest of the episode using tools in creative ways to solve the problem. One thing I like is how often a chainsaw is used to fix their messes. I shared the show with my four-year-old, and he instantly loved it.
One might ask how I use this show to learn Slovak or Czech if there is no dialogue. The answer is that I use the title of each episode as a starting point. Most of the episodes have a one or two word title that deals with the duo's dilemma. I look that title up and use it while I watch it (you could just use Google Translate for this, though I started using this online Slovak dictionary instead). For instance, the first clip below is from the episode "Autodráha." I looked it up and saw that it basically means an autodrome, or race track. In this case, they build a ridiculous slot-car race track in their house.
While watching the show I try to repeat the vocabulary item I learned from the title as much as possible. So I ask my son, "What are they building?" hoping that he'll answer by saying autodráha. As their track gets more and more ridiculous, I tell him, "Wow! This autodráha is ridiculous" and so on. After watching it a few times, I might look up other words of objects in the episode, like chair, which is stolica. I can then ask him if they're building their autodráha on top of the stolica. It's small, and it's simple, but it's still a fun way to learn some vocabulary.
What I also love about the show is just how Central European it is. When I see their house, it looks like a house in Slovakia. When I see their kitchen, it's definitely a kitchen from the region. I've found two holiday episodes that also demonstrate some specific traditions. The first one is the Christmas themed episode Vánočka (which in Slovak would be vianočka). Though I've got a little bit of Slovak ancestry (which is why I wanted to learn the language in the first place), I wasn't familiar with this tradition. The name comes from Vianoce, which is the Slovak word for Christmas, and refers to the special weaved bread that is made on Christmas (here's a recipe, if you're interested in knowing more). So consider everything that I'm learning from such a simple episode. I've learned not just the word vianočka, but also the related word Vianoce. I'm also learning about customs from the region. This is all pretty good for a seven minute program.
Another holiday episode is Velikonoční Vajíčko (which in Slovak would be Veľkonočné Vajíčko). This comes from Veľká noc, which means Easter (though literally means "great night.") Vajíčko means egg, so the whole title in English would be "Easter Egg."
The episode starts with Pat (I think Pat's the one in the yellow shirt) watching a video about traditional Czech Easter egg painting. Mat comes in carrying various Easter symbols, one of which was a whip of some sort that I didn't recognize, so I looked it up online. It's called a pomlázka (in Slovak šibačka), which is a whip that boys would carry around on Easter Monday that they would playfully use to whip neighborhood girl's legs. I'm pretty sure in most of Slovakia the tradition is like in Hungary where they would also spray (or soak) the girls with water or perfume in addition to whipping them. At any rate, our modern holiday traditions sadly lack the violent spirit they used to a century or two ago.
If you're interested in more episodes of Pat a Mat, I've found dozens on YouTube. It's a fun and clever show that doesn't demand that you learn any Czech or Slovak to enjoy it, but if you put in a little bit of work it can be a good way to pick up some vocabulary and learn about the culture.
One thing I hope to be able to do on this blog is share resources like children's shows that I find so that anyone who wants to study that language can access them. So the other day I was trying to find some TV programs in Slovak. If you were to try a similar search, you would likely find a lot of programs in Czech, but not in Slovak. The reason for this is that back when the Czech and Slovak republics were one country, most of the programs produced were in Czech, and the Slovaks simply watched them in Czech. This isn't necessarily that big of a deal since both languages are fairly similar, though they are certainly different enough to be considered separate languages.
My search ultimately led me to the delightful "Pat a Mat." The two main characters are named Pat and Mat, which means "stalemate" and "checkmate." The "a" in between just means "and." It is technically a Czech program (though since it was considered subversive, during its early years it was produced in Bratislava, Slovakia). Beyond the opening and closing credits though, there is no dialogue, so it really makes little difference which country it was produced in. Basically, the stop-motion animation show is about two handymen: Pat and Mat. Each episode features them trying to solve some sort of problem, often one that is self-created since they both are a little bit clumsy. They spend the rest of the episode using tools in creative ways to solve the problem. One thing I like is how often a chainsaw is used to fix their messes. I shared the show with my four-year-old, and he instantly loved it.
One might ask how I use this show to learn Slovak or Czech if there is no dialogue. The answer is that I use the title of each episode as a starting point. Most of the episodes have a one or two word title that deals with the duo's dilemma. I look that title up and use it while I watch it (you could just use Google Translate for this, though I started using this online Slovak dictionary instead). For instance, the first clip below is from the episode "Autodráha." I looked it up and saw that it basically means an autodrome, or race track. In this case, they build a ridiculous slot-car race track in their house.
Autodráha
While watching the show I try to repeat the vocabulary item I learned from the title as much as possible. So I ask my son, "What are they building?" hoping that he'll answer by saying autodráha. As their track gets more and more ridiculous, I tell him, "Wow! This autodráha is ridiculous" and so on. After watching it a few times, I might look up other words of objects in the episode, like chair, which is stolica. I can then ask him if they're building their autodráha on top of the stolica. It's small, and it's simple, but it's still a fun way to learn some vocabulary.
What I also love about the show is just how Central European it is. When I see their house, it looks like a house in Slovakia. When I see their kitchen, it's definitely a kitchen from the region. I've found two holiday episodes that also demonstrate some specific traditions. The first one is the Christmas themed episode Vánočka (which in Slovak would be vianočka). Though I've got a little bit of Slovak ancestry (which is why I wanted to learn the language in the first place), I wasn't familiar with this tradition. The name comes from Vianoce, which is the Slovak word for Christmas, and refers to the special weaved bread that is made on Christmas (here's a recipe, if you're interested in knowing more). So consider everything that I'm learning from such a simple episode. I've learned not just the word vianočka, but also the related word Vianoce. I'm also learning about customs from the region. This is all pretty good for a seven minute program.
Vánočka
Another holiday episode is Velikonoční Vajíčko (which in Slovak would be Veľkonočné Vajíčko). This comes from Veľká noc, which means Easter (though literally means "great night.") Vajíčko means egg, so the whole title in English would be "Easter Egg."
Velikonoční Vajíčko
The episode starts with Pat (I think Pat's the one in the yellow shirt) watching a video about traditional Czech Easter egg painting. Mat comes in carrying various Easter symbols, one of which was a whip of some sort that I didn't recognize, so I looked it up online. It's called a pomlázka (in Slovak šibačka), which is a whip that boys would carry around on Easter Monday that they would playfully use to whip neighborhood girl's legs. I'm pretty sure in most of Slovakia the tradition is like in Hungary where they would also spray (or soak) the girls with water or perfume in addition to whipping them. At any rate, our modern holiday traditions sadly lack the violent spirit they used to a century or two ago.
If you're interested in more episodes of Pat a Mat, I've found dozens on YouTube. It's a fun and clever show that doesn't demand that you learn any Czech or Slovak to enjoy it, but if you put in a little bit of work it can be a good way to pick up some vocabulary and learn about the culture.
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