Abstract:

The need to include an audio component in CAI work in French is discussed, and an attempted solution is described in terms of a suite of programs designed to facilitate the creation and use of dictation practice materials. Pre-existing recordings can be used in the preparation phase, or new recordings can be made as the program runs. An index of recordings is automatically updated. For each text a setting can be made to require exact punctuation or to tolerate punctuation differences when it is used. In student use of the program, useful features include: the option of instructions if needed; repetition of any phrase by pressing a single key; the progressive build-up on the screen of the complete and correct text, with those segments in which a student error occurred being highlighted; the option of repeating incorrectly answered segments at the end of the exercise; and of finally hearing and seeing the exercise; and of finally hearing and seeing the complete text simultaneously. Supplementary programs enable the inclusion of accented letters and the production on screen of the correctly formatted text.

Author: John Collett