Do Voice Recognition Tools For Learning Spanish Help?
A recent trend which is emerging with learning Spanish software is voice recognition. These voice recognition tools are designed to help you with pronunciation. They allow you to repeat the word and then attempt to grade or evaluate your pronunciation.
From a marketing perspective, they are a great way for the software companies to differentiate their product from the competition. They can also be a great way to justify charging more for their product!
So from the point of view of the software companies, voice recognition tools for learning Spanish are an excellent idea. They sound great in the marketing materials and they seem like a feature which you must have!
Of course, we've all ended up buying options for our cars which seemed desirable and even indispensable at the car dealer. Only to find that we rarely use them in the real world! Does the same apply to voice recognition tools for learning Spanish?
There is no doubt in my mind that these tools can help with the pronunciation of individual words. And getting your pronunciation right or better is certainly one element of learning Spanish. However, the big question is where this fits in the overall scheme of things. Is it a big deal? Or is it just one of the many components involved in the process?
The truth is that there is a better strategy for mastering pronunciation. No matter which linguistics expert you talk to they will all say the same thing. The best way to learn a new language is to live the language. In other words, immersing yourself in the language being spoken naturally is the best strategy.
And when you are immersing yourself you are doing more listening than speaking!
Listening to native speakers and their pronunciation is much more effective than voice recognition tools for learning Spanish. You are immersing yourself in the flow of the language. You are immersing yourself in the structure of the language. And you are learning the pronunciation in context.
The problem with these tools is that they do not give you that context. And the context of any word can change the inflection of the pronunciation in different circumstances. So you could argue that these tools will actually hold you back. In my view they will certainly have you focusing on a less important area, to the detriment of more important elements!
The most effective way to learn pronunciation is to start using the language yourself. Use the language to learn it! Using Spanish in conversational settings will teach you more about correct pronunciation than any voice recognition tool ever will!
If you are using these tools as just one component of your approach I can see some value. But don't get carried away by the sales pitch! They are only one very small element of learning Spanish effectively!
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