TESOL CALL Interest Section

Software List

Pronunciation

8 in 1 English Dictionary

Machine: Win/Mac
Publisher: English Computerized Learning
Approximate single-unit price: 50
Purchase options: Discount if downloaded
Level: Intermediate, advanced For: All
Description: By the authors of Pronunciation Power, this CD-ROM-based dictionary offers a lot of aural/oral work. Learners can search by phonic sounds as well as by spelling; listen, record, and playback, and get a translation in 12 languages: Arabic, Chinese (traditional and simplified), French, German, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Vietnamese. See a review in CALICO Journal at http://calico.org/CALICO_Review/review/propower00.htm.

Accent Master

Machine: Win
Publisher: Accent Master
Approximate single-unit price: 130
Level: Intermediate, advanced For: Adult, HE
Description: This software uses animated graphics and video to demonstrate how to pronounce discrete sounds. Learners record and compare their waveforms to a model in words and phrases. The wavforms are resized to match each other. Games offer practice in using the different sounds in words and sentences. Thousands of audio recordings are included.

American SpeechSounds

Machine: Win
Publisher: SpeechCom
Approximate single-unit price: 150
Purchase options: $75 for home version; site lic.
Level: Intermediate, advanced For: All
Description: The program offers video clips of lip and tongue position to help with pronunciation practice of sounds from isolated phonemes to words, phrases, and sentences. Linking, stress, and intonation exercises are also included. A directory based on the student's first language (out of 30 choices) helps students focus on sounds most likely to be problematic for them. Students can listen or listen, record, and compare themselves to the model. The Professional version of the program includes IPA and is authorable, so teachers can add their own material. While the program is designed for self-access, students will probably need some guidance in assessing their progress when working independently.

Better Accent Tutor

Machine: Win
Publisher: Better Accent
Purchase options: Contact publisher for pricing
Level: Beginning, intermediate, advanced For: All
Description: BetterAccent Tutor analyzes intonation, stress and rhythm patterns of a user-recorded utterance and visualizes these patterns in an easy- to-understand manner. By pinpointing the exact mistakes, BetterAccent Tutor allows users to focus on the problems that are unique to their speech. Users can record and playback. The program visualizes the syllabic structure of recorded utterances and highlights the syllables as they are played back, which allows users to visually compare the user's and native speaker's intonation, intensity and rhythm patterns. An extensive set of exercises and explanations of each exercise are included, as well as a large collection of utterances by native speakers to provide users with guidance and a yardstick for correct pronunciation.

Clear Speech Works

Machine: Win, Mac
Publisher: DynEd International
Purchase options: Contact publisher for pricing
Level: Intermediate, advanced For: All but K-6
Description: An earlier version was also sold as Speech Works from Trinity Software; this is now from DynEd. Learners can select lessons by their native language or see all the lessons. Learners can listen, record, and review words, phrases, and sentences. There is a technical vocabulary component, so learners in different disciplines can practice field-specific vocabulary. The focus is more on sounds than on stress and intonation, though those lessons are also included. Windows 98/NT/2000/XP; Mac OS 9, X.

Connected Speech

Machine: Win
Publisher: Protea Textware
Approximate single-unit price: 185
Purchase options: home version (cheaper); lab, site
Level: Intermediate, advanced For: All but K-8
Description: This program focuses on suprasegmentals, the most current approach to pronunciation teaching. It uses 27 video clips with 9 different speakers with a range of accents. A wide range of activities includes oral and visual feedback and some speech recognition. Three levels: lower intermediate, intermediate, and advanced are provided. This is helpful, since many pronunciation products use vocabulary that is far too difficult and uncommon for any but advanced students. North American, Australian, and British versions sold separately. See a full review at http://calico.org/CALICO_Review/review/conspeech00.htm. Windows NT, 2000, ME, XP, Vista

English Teacher, The

Machine: Win
Publisher: Online Educational Solutions
Approximate single-unit price: 30
Purchase options: quantity discounts avail.
Level: Beginning, intermediate, advanced For: Adult, HE
Special use: bilinguarl
Description: Electronic workbook with record-keeping. The program automatically sets up future reviews of each lesson depending on the student’s answers. Learning sessions and their results are recorded for the teacher to review. Each new lesson includes reviews - how often depends on the student’s measured performance.

ESL Pro

Machine: Win
Publisher: ESL Pro Systems
Approximate single-unit price: 30
Purchase options: multi-user, site
Level: Literacy, beginning, intermediate For: All
Special use: literacy, bilingual (multi)
Description: This CD-ROM-based program uses graphics, sound, animation, and text to improve pronunciation skills. Learners can record and compare their speech. Customized versions are available for speakers of French, Spanish, Korean, Japanese, German, Chinese, Hindi, Portuguese, and Russian. Included as part of the English Tutor package.

EyeSpeak English

Machine: Win
Publisher: Visual Pronunciation Software
See also Encomium
Approximate single-unit price: 50
Purchase options: Premium ver. $150; network
Level: Intermediate, advanced For: All but K-3
Description: Practice with sounds, words, sentences, and role-plays. Learners can compare their speech to that of the native-speaker model (American or British English) using visual mouth diagrams, wave form diagrams and audio recordings. Choose from conversational English, business English, and travel English versions. A network version is available for school use. A free trial version can be downloaded from the website at http://www.eyespeakenglish.com/. Premium and standard versions are available. The Premium edition offers about three times as many hours of instruction. Windows 2000/XP/Vista.

Greenwood: Vowels and Consonants

Machine: Win
Publisher: Greenwood Multimedia Corp.
Purchase options: see website
Level: Beginning For: 3-12, Adult
Special use: literacy
Description: Formerly known as English Easy, this series of CDs with web activation is designed specifically for students learning to speak Canadian English. Students can focus on the oral/aural aspect of the language, brush up on their grammar knowledge or hone their conversational skill and, at the same time, learn more about North American culture. The program emphasizes proper pronunciation of English vowels and consonants. Each new component is followed by listening and spelling exercises to reinforce understanding. Example words are explained using full-coloured graphics and animations to allow students to associate with them without resorting to their native language. Abstract words have additional multilingual explanations in Mandarin, Cantonese, and Japanese to speed understanding.

HearSay -currently unavailable

Machine: Win
Publisher: Communication Disorders Technology
Purchase options: currently under revision
Level: Intermediate, advanced For: All
Description: Pronunciation program based on contrastive analysis. Offers an all-languages version as well as specialized versions for Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, and Spanish. "Vowels in Space" uses the device of an animated vowel space diagram with digital recordings of many example words to help the student sharpen English vowel pronunciation and perception. Selected contrasts are practiced in a number of interactive game settings, including puzzles, treasure hunts, image completion, space battles and simulated bowling. The program customizes instruction, adapting the instructional sequence to the user's skill level. Students can override the selection process and choose the contrasts they wish to work on themselves. A detailed log and a progress chart record work over time. The program can be used in self-study or instructor-led mode. The website lists this as unavailable until 2011.

Need4Reading

Machine: Win
Publisher: Howard Bruce and Assoc.
Approximate single-unit price: 40
Level: Literacy, beginning For: All but K-5
Special use: literacy
Description: Phonics program using video to show mouth movements and teach sounds associated with each letter, making it also useful for pronunciation practice. The program progesses to words and phrases. CD-ROM.

No More Accent

Machine: Win
Publisher: No More Accent
Approximate single-unit price: 20
Level: Intermediate, advanced For: All but K-6
Description: CD-ROM based multimedia pronunciation program. 22 lessons, covering vowels, consonants, intonation. Lessons include workplace vocabulary and common mistakes and misconceptions. Beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels. A breathing technique is at the heart of the program.

PerfectPronunciation

Machine: Win
Publisher: Antimoon
Approximate single-unit price: 48
Purchase options: $35 if downloaded from website
Level: Beginning, intermediate, advanced For: All but K-6
Description: 500 word-based pronunciation exercises designed for self-study/supplement to classroom work. The learner self-assesses for each word practiced. The program uses SuperMemo technology to stage reviewing, so that each lesson includes some previously-viewed words along with new words. The program chooses words to review based on the learner's self-assessment, so that words assessed at a lower level are reviewed more frequently. Less expensive if downloaded from the website: http://www.antimoon.com/. Windows 95, 98, 2000, XP or Vista

Pronunciation in English

Machine: Win
Publisher: AmEnglish.com
See also Encomium
Approximate single-unit price: 30
Purchase options: Online version also available
Level: Intermediate, advanced For: All but K-6
Description: Designed for intermediate level and above. This uses video presentations, audio explanations, and exercises. Help is available in 10 languages. The new Expanded Version includes exercises on stress, intonation, and rhythm as well as specific sounds. This is co-branded by ETS. Record-keeping.

Pronunciation Power

Machine: Win/Mac
Publisher: English Computerized Learning
Approximate single-unit price: 205
Purchase options: also separately $155/95; site, network
Level: Beginning, intermediate, advanced For: All
Description: Pronunciation CD-ROMs with a variety of exercises for practice. Learners can listen, record, and review the different sounds. Video and animation are included for each sound, as well as waveforms. Each CD also sold separately. Downloaded versions (not on CD) are less expensive. An online option is also available. See a review in CALICO Journal at http://calico.org/CALICO_Review/review/propower00.htm.

Sky Pronunciation Suite

Machine: Win
Publisher: Sky Software House
See also Wida
Approximate single-unit price: 475
Purchase options: lab, site; indiv. titles $115 each
Level: Beginning, intermediate, advanced For: All
Description: Includes Phonemic Alphabet in English, Similar Sounds, Words & Phrasal Stress, Stress & Rhythm, and Rhythms from Rainland. Phonemic Alphabet and Similar Sounds focus on individual sounds (segmentals). Words & Phrasal Stress and Stress & Rhythm focus on stress and rhythm, with tutorials and examples. Rhythms from Rainland uses everyday dialogues, jokes, poems, rhymes, sayings, and the like. The practice takes the form of video and audio lessons where the learner can listen and repeat the language in the texts in a variety of ways. All include a self-record option. British English.

Sona-Speech II

Machine: Win
Publisher: Kay Elemetrics
Purchase options: Contact publisher
Level: Beginning, intermediate, advanced For: All
Description: Software component of Visi-Pitch IV that uses standard sound cards rather than dedicated hardware. It includes eight modules dealing with pitch, frequency, intensity, and articulation, and offers spectral measurements, motor speech profiles, phonation, a waveform editor, and audio feedback tools. Graphically interesting games are also provided to make therapy tasks appealing to children. Models of speech must be input by the teacher/clinician. Windows XP or Vista for the latest version.

Sounds of English, The

Machine: Win
Publisher: EFL Productions
Purchase options: 40 GBP
Level: Beginning, intermediate, advanced, teacher For: Adult, HE, Teacher
Description: This includes a phonemic chart and quiz for learning the International Phonetic Alphabet. This would be useful for teachers and learners who need to clearn IPA in order to heck the pronunciation of words.

Speech Works

Machine: Mac, Win
Publisher: Trinity Software
Purchase options: Contact Northeastern U, 617-373-8810
Level: Beginning, intermediate, advanced For: All
Description: Learners can select lessons by their native language or see all the lessons. Learners can listen, record, and review words, phrases, and sentences. There is a technical vocabulary component, so learners in different disciplines can practice field-specific vocabulary. The focus is more on sounds than on stress and intonation, though those lessons are also included. The Teacher version offers assessment options and tracking. Contact Northeastern University for availability and pricing: 617-373-8810.

SpeedLingua

Machine: Win
Publisher: GenevaLogic
Description: Pronunciaiton pracice that works by changing the pace of the learner's recorded speech to play back to the learner at the pace of a native speaker. The idea is that the learner gradually internalizes the changed speed and rhythm, sounding more accurate.

Visi-Pitch IV

Machine: Win
Publisher: Kay Elemetrics
Purchase options: call for pricing
Level: Beginning, intermediate, advanced For: All
Description: Hardware + software system for detailed speech analysis. In addition to the pitch, frequency, and intensity information of earlier models, this includes modules for spectral measurements, a motor speech profile, phonation (including the Sona-Match module, also sold separately), a waveform editor, and audio feedback tools. Voice games related to pitch, frequency, and intensity are motivating for younger learners. Models of speech need to be input by the teacher/clinician. Additional specialized modules are also available.This system is designed for serious speech therapy and priced to match.

Visual Voice Tools

Machine: Win
Publisher: Edmark Corporation/Riverdeep
Approximate single-unit price: 200
Level: Beginning, intermediate, advanced For: All
Description: A collection of seven tools that help students develop control of their pitch, loudness, voicing, and breath. Activities begin with simple sound awareness and progress from there. Students use a microphone for input; each tool provides visual feedback in the form of an animated graphic. Originally by IBM as part of the SpeechViewer program. Windows 95/98; not verified for XP or Vista.

• Specific skill areas: Comprehensive - Discussion - Grammar - Listening - Pronunciation - Reading
  Reference - Speaking - Test Prep - Vocabulary - Writing - Authoring - Teacher Utilities
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