Connected Speech

 Lower Intermediate to Advanced levels. A pronunciation program that focuses on the suprasegmentals - pause groups, pitch change, word and sentence stress, linking, syllables and the IPA. Learn how to apply the theory to speaking and understanding natural English. Uses speech recognition to give feedback on the learner's production.

A pronunciation program that focuses on the suprasegmentals - pause groups, pitch change, word and sentence stress, linking, syllables and the IPA.  Learn how to apply the theory to speaking and understanding natural English.  Uses speech recognition to give feedback on the learner's production.

Design:

• Teaches and tests a wide range of English pronunciation skills.
• Designed  for adult learners (age 12+).
• Involves active learning.
• Use of multimedia, interactivity and feedback for effective learning of pronunciation skills
• Content rich
• Based on sound educational pedagogy

Features:

• nine speakers - a range of English accents and speaking styles
• natural, informal spoken English
• three levels - Lower Intermediate, Upper Intermediate, Advanced
• comprehension and language activities and tests based on 27 video clips
• teaches and tests the suprasegmental features (Pause groups, Word and Sentence Stress, Pitch change and Linking)
• teaches and tests other pronunciation skills, including Syllables and the IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet)
• over 300 hours of activities
• print results of voice recordings with feedback on production
• print tutorials, worksheets, test results and answer sheets
• clear, consistent layout makes Connected Speech easy to use!
• 27 video clips
• listen to the whole or part of a video
• read and listen
• see hotword definitions
• comprehend the content through questions, written and spoken cloze activities, spelling and dictation exercises
• identify suprasegmental and other features for each speaker
• record your own production
• see, hear and print intelligent feedback on your recording

Activities:

System requirements:

• Multimedia computer with Windows® (NT, 2000, Me, XP, Vista)
• Recommended hardware, processor and RAM for your version of Windows®
• Microphone, speakers/headphones
• Install program only:40 MB hard disk space
• Install program and copy CDROM to hard disk (multi-user licences only): 640 MB

Reviews:

"Through the use of current technology and sound pedagogical design, Connected Speech provides an opportunity for second language learners to practice and improve their speaking and listening skills. Connected Speech is a welcome and innovative addition to the existing wealth of ESL speaking and listening teaching tools already on the market." Reviewed by Judy Youngquist, ESL Specialist, Saginaw Valley State University
From MITESOL Messages
 

"The extended speech samples situate phonology within an overall meaning-centered communicative context, which is in consonance with modern communicative language teaching approaches. The topics dealt with in the videos are engaging and interesting, which is a motivation for users who want to work with the given material. The program could easily be integrated into a classroom, where learners could complete the exercises together and discuss them with each other and the teacher, or in an independent learning context, provided that learners have an opportunity to discuss questions or doubts with the teacher.....Connected Speech tackles head-on what is sometimes a very complicated and difficult area in second language acquisition – that of understanding and producing correct pronunciation, especially in the suprasegmental features of the language. The program provides its users with a rather comprehensive array of tutorials, speech samples and interactive activities to help them in their endeavor of perfecting their understanding and speaking of modern North American English." Reviewed by Mark Darhower, University of Puerto Rico at Humacao  CALICO Software Review
http://astro.temple.edu/~jburston/CALICO/review/conspeech

4 Reviews