Archive
Linguee dictionary lookup based on parallel corpora
- Support for more languages is planned (Chinese, Japanese):
- The interesting approach based on parallel corpora provides a wealth of empirical data, albeit a bit raw and of varying quality, e.g.:
Independent study with free language learning materials from the FSI?
The Foreign Service Institute language learning materials – consisting of scanned documents and digitized audio of multiple courses per language – were still a heavily-advertised resource when I visited the Defense Language Institute in Monterey in 2006.
It is nice to see these resources be made available for free. It is also nice to see the progress that has been made not only in technological adaptation of textbook learning materials since these materials were made available (post WW II?).
This, however, comes at a cost. If you shun it, and do not take a course that works which requires (and entitles you to the use of) a textbook, here are easily accessibleviewable learning materials for a large set of languages, including many LCTL: Amharic, Arabic, Bulgarian, Cambodian, Cantonese, Chinese, Chinyanja, Czech, Finnish, French, Fula, German, Greek, Hausa, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Igbo, Italian, Japanese, Kirundi, Kituba, Korean, Lao, Lingala, Luganda, Moré, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbo-Croatian, Shona, Sinhala, Spanish, Swahili, Swedish, Tagalog, Thai, Turkish, Twi, Vietnamese, Yoruba.
The Forums , however seem to indicate that not too many still use these options. The transformation into a (technologically superficially) more modern format here is limited to very few languages and courses (and crashed my web browser).
More Moodle Kaltura webcam recording homework assignments: Spanish
Protected: Mock exam for Spanish combines various learning technologies in the LRC
I2speak.com: Web-based IPA Keyboard
The Sciweavers Team announces http://www.i2speak.com: “an online Smart IPA Keyboard that lets you quickly type IPA phonetics without the need to memorize any symbol code. For every Roman character you type, a popup menu displays a group of phonetic symbols that share the same sound or shape beneath typed character. Use arrow keys to select the proper symbol then hit the Enter button. I2Speak also supports the following features:
1. The Sampa English Keyboard lets you type English phonetics using Roman characters according to SAMPA (Speech Assessment Methods Phonetic Alphabet) rules.
2. The IPA English Keyboard provides you with a full English phonetics keyboard. Press the symbol of interest using a suitable input device.
3. You can type directly on your physical keyboard or on the virtual on-screen keyboard using a suitable input device such as mouse or touch screen device.
4. You can change the keyboard symbols by selecting another layout from the list box located above the virtual keyboard.
5. For every keyboard layout, more symbols can be displayed by pressing the CAPS Lock.
6. When you hover the mouse over an English phonetic button, a slick tooltip will show some example English words.
7. You can save typed phonetics as an MS-Word file by clicking the Save button, copy them to clipboard using the Copy button, or post them to Twitter, Facebook, etc. by clicking the desired button.”
Spanish movie subtitles exercise project
- objective:
- To facilitate lesson delivery and student interaction in our Language Resource Center I have programmed a VBA- and MS-Word- based cloze quiz template with batch creation based on a simple markup language and rich autocorrecting functions that use string metric algorithms (Damerau-Levenshtein).
The template supports typical activities in the digital language lab: digital audio- and video-based listening comprehensions, e.g. Quiz Template with Chanson Lyrics, 
and speaking and dialoguing activities for language learning or other examples): - Teachers can use them as exercise-generating engines: the templates allow copy/paste of their own exercises into this template. To also automatically create language teaching materials with the required markup in French, German, Italian and Spanish (mostly based on movie subtitles) for this template, I wrote a C#-program that applies an expanding library of regular expressions which can match typical language learner tasks:
- function words,
e.g for Spanish Movie Subtitling Exercise Creation, 
- affixes/infixes
- and lexical subsets taken from corpus linguistic research on word-frequency (SUBTLEX, Opensubtitles)).
- function words,
- This template support the learner by strengthening learner autonomy and providing immediate corrective feedback and – in conjunction with the grouping facilities of the Center’s classroom management system infrastructure – allow for custom-tailored instruction based on the immediately available outcome of formative assessments, and also automated summative feedback:
- A Spanish TA can provide meaningful vocabulary and grammar questions as input for cloze listening comprehension exercises that I will create on the basis of subtitles I have for Spanish movies being used in (= put on reserve for viewing in the LRC by) the Spanish program consistent exercises that students can take while watching the movie in class adapted meaningfully to technical possibilities of template
- Screencasts Demos:
- making of template exercises
- manually marked up: Part II to minute 4, Part III
- alternatively, markup can be generated by regular expressions which we will try to develop:
- use of template exercises : Part II, from minute 4
- materials
- source texts:subtitle files for proof reading
- Amores Perros
- Pedro Almodovar – Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios
- Pedro Almodovar – Hable Con Ella
- ideas for exercise needs that fit into this cloze format
- grammar
- function words
- affixes
- vocabulary
- frequency-based wordlists from corpus linguistics
- word lists from current textbook
- grammar
- source texts:subtitle files for proof reading
- Deliverables: combos of
- materials
- exercise ideas
- making of template exercises
- To facilitate lesson delivery and student interaction in our Language Resource Center I have programmed a VBA- and MS-Word- based cloze quiz template with batch creation based on a simple markup language and rich autocorrecting functions that use string metric algorithms (Damerau-Levenshtein).
Questions? Read the About. Or just ask me a quick Our Databases: Resources with calendars -- Language learning material Moodle Sites, multimedia files -- films
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Other ways to find help
If you cannot find it here, look there: 5,500 Language-Learning Links and Programs for learning or teaching 150 languages
Shortcuts:Our Lists, Our Maps, LRC Staff Moodle Site,LRC Project Moodle Site, 49erexpress, UNCC Moodle, Student Recordings: s:claslcslrcsanakostudent
Learning usage samples: Sanako oral exam, Kaltura webcam presentation, Dictation with speech recognition, Sanako written exam, Chinese and Japanese interactive stroke-order practice
Test the Sanako Installer, Webbrowser Popup Konfigurator for XP, or Windows7, faster LRC TeacherPC Log-in Let MS facilitate diacritics writing by installing for you US-International keyboard layout
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