Wikspeak

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WikSpeak

Developer(s)	Marcos Daniel Martinez.
Operating system	Linux and Windows (95/98/NT/2000/XP).
Type	Computer Aided Instruction.
License	GNU General Public License.
Website	http://wikspeak.sourceforge.net

WikSpeak (pronounced /ˈwɪkspiːk/) is a tool that allows non-native English speakers to analyze the correlation between the pronunciation and spelling of English words. This program is a simple and fast graphic interface which can retrieve either the phonetic transcription (IPA) or the pronunciation of any English word, while avoiding the annoying process of browsing dictionaries.

Contents 1 Rationale 2 Features 3 References

[edit] Rationale

The ability to identify phonemes is key to accurate comprehension and good pronunciation of a language. In school, children learn to associate letters and sounds by slowly pronouncing each phoneme composing a word. The English language has an alphabet consisting of 26 letters, but these letters can be combined to produce 44 distinct phonemes. The unfamiliar sounds of phonemes not found in other languages often result in confusion and frustration for the non-native English speaker.

Dictionaries found on the web provide learners with word pronunciations spoken at a natural pace; however, they don't provide the opportunity for the listener to conveniently identify individual phonemes composing a word. WikSpeak is a program created to fill this void for English language learning.

[edit] Features

• The program requires an Internet connection.
• Phonetic transcriptions are retrieved from Word Reference
• Pronunciations are retrieved from the Learner's Dictionary of Merriam Webster's
• IPA chart simplified for English with sound included in the program.
• A mimimal level of familiarity with the IPA will enhance users' experience with the program but it is not required.

[edit] References

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