MOOEC TALK
MOOEC Talk is a free online application designed to assist learners of English recognize and produce Received Pronunciation. The methodology is based on the Natural Approach to Language Acquisition and acknowledgment that many second language learners lose the ability to distinguish specific phonemic sounds in non-native languages from an early age
The application presents sets of minimal pairs, where a word differs by only one phoneme. For example, the vowel sound in ‘let’ and ‘lit’. Presented with a recording of either ‘let’ or ‘lit’, the student is required to distinguish the phoneme and select the correct answer. Increased phonological awareness occurs as correct selections are reinforced via feedback.
As phonological challenges vary across native languages when learning English. MOOEC Talk focuses on specific challenges for different language groups. For instance initial and final consonant sounds in English for Chinese speakers, discrimination of certain consonant sounds for Japanese speakers and English vowel sounds for Italian speakers
A further pedagogical feature is the ability for learners to observe the wave form of target words and the specific shape phonological features native speakers produce and then record their production online to compare the wave form (shape) of their production with a model speaker.