That Time that Kids Learned Pretty Big Words from Disney Movies

My mother is a Primary music chorister.  Every year, the church chooses a "big person" hymn for the kids to learn.  This year, it was I Stand All Amazed.  Some Primary Choristers were worried that the kids wouldn't know what all the words meant.  And it does have some big words.  Proffer.  Confused. Tremble.  Descend.  Divine.  Rebellious.  Adore. Even amazed.  At this point, we're almost talking every other word.  But, my mom and I were talking about how the kids don't  have to know the exact meaning of each and every word.  And using big words around kids is how they learn big words. 

Another source of big words?  Disney movies.  SAT.com actually has a series of Disney clips that teach legit SAT words.  Here are some big words that Disney taught kids:

1. Pachyderm
In Jungle Book, Colonel Hathi uses the word pachyderm, and then it is used several separate times in Dumbo.

2. Domicile
In Lady and the Tramp, the Siamese cats sing, "Now we looking over our new domicile."

3. Aggregation
In 101 Dalmations, they sing about their dalmation aggregation.

4. Wanderlust
Aristocats introduces us to Thomas O'Malley's wanderlust

5. Posse
Robin Hood teaches us about the Sheriff of Nottingham and his posse.


6. Reprimand
Though it may not be true that humans don't reprimand their daughters, Little Mermaid did teach us what the word meant.


7. Provincial
This isn't the only time that Beauty and the Beast is going to pop up, but at the very start of the movie, we learn it's going to be a vocabulary lesson starting from the provincial life that Belle is living.


8. Culinary
Off to Lumiere and his castle, and his culinary cabaret. Come to think of it, we could probably put cabaret on the list too.

9. Expectorating
Even Gaston will teach us about this more refined form of spitting.  Sounds so much more accomplished though, doesn't it?  Being good at expectorating rather than spitting?

10. Facade
Beauty and the Beast teaches again!

11.  Barbaric
Another educational one, Alladin starts off with "it's barbaric, but hey, it's home!"

12. Genuflect
We can just show kids the Prince Ali song, and then have them take the Verbal SAT.

13. Menagerie
See above.

14. Coterie
Really, just watch the Prince Ali song

15. Fakir
Yeah, it uses that one too.

16. Sordid
Scar's villain song in Lion King, called Be Prepared is not only a wonderful way to teach children about political science and control, but also a wonderful vocab lesson. 

17. Retention
Scar teaches children again!

18. Succession
Scar did something right. 

19. Debris
Not only did Pocahontas have a fantastic song that I used in a college American history class to teach about the Virgina Company, but it taught kids about "gold like debris." 

20. Heathen
Another gem from Pocahontas

21. Calumny
 I have talked before about how Hunchback of Notre Dame wasn't actually a kid's movie despite its G-rating and cartoon-appeal.  A good movie, yes.  But it also has the whole Frollo-lusting-after-Esmeralda-so-he-must-destroy-her thing from the Hugo classic.  Which was an odd choice to keep.  But it teaches some great words.

22. Consternation
Frollo again.

 23. Qualm
 But according to the bishop of Notre Dame, Frollo can "pretend that [he] hasn't a qualm."

24. Vulgar
That entire Hellfire song is one big vocab lesson.


25. Heedless
Another Hunchback contribution

26. Licentious
Again, it's the Hellfire song's fault.


27. Parapets
Thanks Hunchback
 
28. Gables 
Hunchback

29. contrition
Hunchback

30. insubordination
Take a guess


31. Pyre
Esmeralda gets told my Frollo, "Choose me or your pyre."  What a choice!

32. Revile
Frollo has a great vocabulary

33. Scorn
 More Hunchback
 

34. Tranquil
Mulan couldn't be left out.

35. Quid Pro Quo
Back to Aladdin, the genie explains our Quid pro quos, and so does Scar in Lion King!

36.  Proviso (even defines)
There are a couple of provisos on a genie's powers. This one they even define for the kids, when Aladdin says, "Provisos?  Limitations on wishes?"

37. Nom de plume
Aladdin says, "next time gotta use a nom de plume."  

38. SRO
Hercules did all sorts of terrible things to children's cultural literacy, but it did teach the phrase SRO--Standing Room Only.


39. fathoms
Little Mermaid had its fair share of words.

40. Indubitably
Maybe the best word ever, lots of kids learned this word from Mary Poppins.

41. lugubrious
Hercules did something right.

42. fractals
I've talked about how Frozen wasn't really novel in teaching girls about being independent, but it did teach them this word.


43. elephantine 
Ratatouille teaches two things with this scene: 1) don't get drunk because you might reveal too much and 2) what elephantine proportions are


44. ecstatic
Though Jafar uses it sarcastically, he does use it.

45. primeval
Gaston is simply "positively primeval."

46. derogate
Princess and the Frog might not have been a great movie, but it taught a good word.


47. gullible 
Rapunzel is "gullible..."

 48. naive 
 ...and "naive" according to Mother Gothel.

49. malicious 
Are you "malicious, mean and scary?"  Do you have a dream just like in Tangled?

50. illuminate
Yeah, Genie, illuminate the possibilities.

Comments

Carol said…
Henry keeps using the phrase "it's a government conspiracy" but he has no idea what it means.
December 23, 2014 at 7:50 AM
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