If you’re not already a fan of the APTN animated kids’ series Louis Says, you’re probably about to become one. Solomon Ratt recently shared this APTN link which includes full Cree-language episodes of the series. The idea of the show (in English) is Randy finding help to understand the Cree words that Louis teaches him (sometimes with hilarious results). When the show is translated into Cree (th-dialect), the producers chose Denesułine as the mystery language.
Listen carefully to see whose voices you recognize, including Solomon Ratt and Cynthia Cook (who does a fantastic kohkom!)
In addition to full episodes, the APTN site includes the viewing schedule and printables suitable for young language learners.
2 Responses
I really like the series but I have two observations:
If the series is for teaching non Cree speakers Cree the talk is too fast. As a Cree speaker I had to pay attention.
Some of the pictures in the series are stereotyping Cree people. Children do not wear the headdress and we do not wear buckskin clothing.
Thanks, Esther, those are interesting thoughts. I think maybe the kids you saw in traditional clothing were the ones Randy visits via time travel at the end of each episode. They bring in lessons from traditional culture. The speed of the language is a different issue: Since the shows are originally written in English with only a word or two of Cree, creating Cree language versions means that Cree phrases (which are typically longer) need to get fitted into a relatively small piece of animation. A number of characters’ voices are also created by speeding up recordings of Solomon Ratt to make him sound different. And, of course, those th-dialect speakers are known for the blazing speed (without mechanical intervention). It’s fascinating what we learn by observing translation in action!