Pronunciator

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Pronunciator is a set of webpages, audio and video files, and mobile apps for learning any of 87 languages. Explanations are available in 50 languages. 1,500 libraries in the US and Canada subscribe and make it available free to their members, including state-wide in Texas, North Carolina, Louisiana, and Arkansas.

Contents

Methods of teaching

In each lesson (drop-down menus) students have to learn words in order, and can click to repeat when needed. The software can listen and score pronunciation, and students can record their voice, and compare it to the lesson. Some languages have grammar lessons as well as vocabulary. The "Main course" has "Core Vocabulary" with 100 categories from beginner to intermediate, Powerful Phrases with 50 travel categories, and 100 verbs conjugated. Some languages have audio downloads of songs, with lyrics, called ProRadio. Some languages have videos with subtitles which let learners loop any phrase in the video. There are lessons to prepare for the US citizenship exam and health vocabulary. [1]

The recorded voices are native speakers of each language.

Languages taught

Afrikaans, Albanian, Amharic, Arabic, Armenian, Azerbaijani, Basque, Belarusian, Bengali, Bulgarian, Catalan, Cebuano, Chinese (Cantonese), Chinese (Mandarin), Chinese (Pinyin), Chinese (Xiang), Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English (American), English (British), Estonian, Finnish, French, Galician, German, Greek, Gujarati, Haitian Creole, Hebrew, Hiligaynon, Hindi, Hungarian, Icelandic, Indonesian, Irish, Italian, Japanese, Japanese (Romaji), Javanese, Korean, Kurdish, Lao, Latvian, Lithuanian, Macedonian, Malagasy, Malay, Malayalam, Maltese, Marathi, Mongolian, Nepali, Norwegian, Pashto, Persian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Sindhi, Sinhala, Slovak, Slovene, Somali, Spanish (Latin America), Spanish (Spain), Swahili, Swedish, Tagalog, Tamil, Telugu, Thai, Tibetan, Turkish, Ukrainian, Urdu, Uzbek, Vietnamese, Welsh, Xhosa [2]

Public reception

Pronunciator has been reviewed by Library Journal [3] [4] and was "Highly recommended" with three stars in Choice: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries. [5] [6] It is used to teach undergraduates at major universities, [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] and used for the public at major city libraries. [18] [19] It is cited in reporting on libraries. [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] [26] [27]

See also

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References

  1. ↑ Pronunciator.com. "Pronunciator". www.pronunciator.com/window2.php. Retrieved 2017-10-03.
  2. ↑ "Languages". www.pronunciator.com/languages/. Retrieved 2017-10-03.
  3. ↑ Verma, Henrietta (2014-08-19). "Pronunciator". Library Journal. Archived from the original on 2017-10-05. Retrieved 2017-10-04.
  4. ↑ Chant, Ian (2014-08-01). " "Library Linguistics". Library Journal. Retrieved 2017-10-04.
  5. ↑ Johnson, S. L. (2014-08-01). "Pronunciator". Choice: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries. 51 (12): 2154–55. ISSN   0009-4978 . Retrieved 2017-10-04.
  6. ↑ Johnson, S. L. (2014). "Choice Magazine Review" . Retrieved 2017-10-04.
  7. ↑ "Digital Resources, Center for Language Exploration, Acquisition & Research". American University. Retrieved 2017-10-04.
  8. ↑ "Pronunciator: Learn a Language. One of Dozens of New Digital Additions to the Library". Library News, Brigham Young University. 2015-02-17. Retrieved 2017-10-04.
  9. ↑ "Pronunciator". Georgia University System. Retrieved 2017-10-04.
  10. ↑ "Dprechen Sie?". School of Law, University of Georgia. 2014-09-01. Retrieved 2017-10-04.
  11. ↑ "Pronunciator". Massachusetts College of Art and Design. 2013-09-06. Retrieved 2017-10-04.
  12. ↑ Arnold, Sarah. "LibGuides: Pronunciator: Home". University of North Carolina. Retrieved 2017-10-04.
  13. ↑ "Pronunciator". Old Dominion University. Retrieved 2017-10-04.
  14. ↑ "Database Finder, RIT Libraries". Rochester Institute of Technology. Retrieved 2017-10-04.
  15. ↑ "Academic Resources: Language Tools". San Francisco Art Institute. Retrieved 2017-10-04.
  16. ↑ "LibGuides: Foreign Language Learning & Education: Online Resources". University of texas. Retrieved 2017-10-04.
  17. ↑ "Prepare for Your Semester Abroad with Pronunciator and Global Road Warrior!". Wake Forest University. 2015-10-07. Retrieved 2017-10-04.
  18. ↑ "Pronunciator · MPL". Milwaukee Public Library. Retrieved 2017-10-04.
  19. ↑ "e-Resources / e-Resources Instructional Videos ~ New Orleans Public Library". nolalibrary.com. Retrieved 2017-10-04.
  20. ↑ Bosquett, Marcy (2017-02-05). "BEYOND THE STACKS: Library warned of pirate attack". Standard Times, San Angelo, TX. Retrieved 2017-10-04.
  21. ↑ "Pronunciator — New Language Learning Program, Lincolnwood Public Library". lincolnwoodlibrary.org. 2014-06-14. Retrieved 2017-10-04.
  22. ↑ "Augusta-Richmond County Public Library System". Georgia Library Quarterly. 53: 2–3. Fall 2016.
  23. ↑ Hardin, Vickie (2017-09-23). "At the library: Learn for free at online academy". shreveporttimes.com. Retrieved 2017-10-02.
  24. ↑ Bottemiller, Kitty (2017-10-01). "What could the local library look like in the future?". Green Valley News. Retrieved 2017-10-02.
  25. ↑ "Foundation gives $50,000 to library for collections, projects". Hood River News. Retrieved 2017-10-02.
  26. ↑ Gerova, Natalya; Lapenok, Marina; Sheina, Irina (2016). "Smart Technologies in Foreign Language Students' Autonomous Learning". Smart Education and e-Learning 2016. Springer, Cham. pp. 541–551. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-39690-3_48. ISBN   9783319396897.
  27. ↑ Truck, I, and M. DURAND and M. WATOREK (2014-03-17). "Toward a Polish Intelligent Virtual Tutor: An Overview of Existing Work". WSPC - Proceedings: 472–477. doi:10.1142/9789814619998_0079. ISBN   978-981-4619-96-7.
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