Using voice recognition software in learning of Chinese as a foreign language pronunciation
Herbert Mushangwe · Journal of Language Teaching and Learning · 2019
This paper is based on the notion that what matters most in language learning is communication. We argue that if a learner can speak what can be understood by native speakers while at the same time understanding what the native speaker says, then we can conclude that this learner has successfully acquired the target language. We present a set of ideas based on the voice recognition exercise which was done with 20 students from different African countries who had studied Chinese as a foreign language for three months at Hebei University. A voice recognition application on smart phones and tablets was used for pronunciation practice purpose in order to boast students’ confidence in spoken Chinese. In this exercise the phone acts as the decoder and it represents how a native Chinese speaker would decode the learner’s speech. The results showed that during the exercise students become more and more conscious of their errors and adjusted their pronunciation. In addition, the voice recognition application helped to determine whether or not the learner’s pronunciation was stable. Based on the results of the study, we concluded that it was possible to turn voice recognition application on smart phones into a game that language learners could use to practice their spoken Chinese. This method is cheap and it promotes self-evaluation as well as boosting interest in learning Chinese language.