Living Language Multimedia: A Random House/Syracuse Language Systems Program
Triple Play Plus (TPP) Japanese by Syracuse Language Systems, is a program designed to teach Japanese and is intended for anyone eight years old through adulthood. It is one program in a series of language learning games by Syracuse and Random House, which include languages such as English, French, Chinese, Spanish, and Hebrew. No prior knowledge of the language is needed to begin the program. It runs from beginner to the intermediate through three levels of progression. After completion of all six subjects of a level--Food, Numbers, Home & Office, Places & Transportation, People & Clothing, Daily Activities--you can feel fully prepared to move on to the next level. On the first level, you begin with word games and exercises to build vocabulary. The second level deals with learning phrases and the third has complete conversations. The three principal areas of study are listening comprehension, reading comprehension, and speaking and pronunciation skills development. The software is designed as an introduction to the language at the beginning level, but goes on to be useful for simple conversations and reading tasks. It only teaches the first and second level alphabets in Japanese and not the more complex kanji seen in everyday use. However, by the end of the program, your speaking and listening skills may improve considerably, though the reading skills are slightly crippled due to the minimal kanji introduction.
The games and exercises use repetition and drills to help you learn over 1,000 words in the target language. Some of the games involve strategies, such as bingo, concentration, or the conversations. Exercises in listening comprehension are integrated throughout the program due to the oral instructions and commands. It is a skill that overlaps in many of the reading and conversation exercises. Within the Listening Comprehension Mode, you hear phrases and are asked to click on the corresponding image. In the Reading Comprehension Mode, you choose an alphabet to work on and then listen to the speaker say the symbol, phrase, or sentence, and then click on the correct written response. The Speech Recognition Mode uses a series of images and phrases. Using these clues, (which are sometimes multiple choice), you must determine the correct answer and give an acceptable pronunciation. One drawback for some of the games is that the user may be able to figure out what to do by looking at the pictures and being somewhat familiar with the rules of the game so that they would be able to play it successfully without actually learning any Japanese. Verbal and audio practice is very important in language learning. Thus, the entire game is based on the recent premise in language learning that the learner must be subjected to the target language as much as possible in a total immersion environment. The main menu has simple instructions in English to help you maneuver into the right environment for you, but once you leave the home page, all else is in Japanese.
The pace of the events fits with the learner's abilities. The timed listening game could be improved by allowing you to turn off the timer or by not subtracting time from you when it does not allow you to skip the lengthy readings of each phrase. This program is designed to go at the learner's own pace. There are no point systems set up to show progress at the end of each section and you may go back and play any game as many times as needed throughout your progress in the program. This allows for a casual speed at which the user may learn a language. Though the problems in the games stay the same (such as the jigsaw puzzle where it's the same picture each time), the games vary in the sequence of questions asked by the program. This allows you to play the same game many times without being able to memorize pattern to win. This also allows you the opportunity to practice and master the vocabulary presented in each game.
The
learner chooses between the three lesson modes, the three levels of difficulty,
as well as from the six different subjects. Some levels may be skipped
because certain games are highlighted depending on the category chosen,
which takes some of the decision making out of the hands of the learner.
However, the learner chooses whether to work on reading, listening or pronunciation
and then the level and the game. Within the game, the learner always has
the option to skip, or to return to the menu.
The intrinsic motivation in this program varies from game to game. Some of the exercises are fun and challenging. Others are colorful and may cause you to be curious about how to play them and discover the concepts behind the game, as well as learning language skills.
The extrinsic motivation often is an audio phrase or beep with a smiling face icon that appears on the screen. The program basically is set up so that as you advance each level, your personal progress in the language is your own reward.
When you get something wrong, depending on the game, you hear someone say, "sorry, try again", in Japanese, or you may hear a beep or see a sad face icon. When you get something correct, you hear various congratulatory phrases and see a smiling face or it may just move on to the next exercise. The feedback varies for each game, but it usually tells you right answers and wrong answers. In the conversation portion, if you get the answer wrong, it will show you where the answer you said is located, if you get the pronunciation wrong, it will just beep and wait for your next try. It is very lenient with pronunciation in the conversation section, but is quite strict with the one word or phrase sections.
The designs and graphics are clear and fun to look at. Some icons are
used as help features to be clicked on for instructions or audio assistance.
There are never too many on the screen to make it look cluttered (though
the main menu comes close). It is set up in the style of a comic book to
make if fun and friendly. The program uses the graphics as reinforcement
of lessons and verbal commands. They help to clarify instructions, which
are given in the target language and are sometimes unclear. They use traditional
colors such as red to stop or go back and green to continue forward, which
are stable throughout the games.
The instructions and games all have some verbal portion. They are also used as rewards or to give feedback on your progress within a game.
Instructions
are usually easy to figure out especially on the first level since you
have a practice and explore feature which allows you to play with it a
little before actually starting the exercise. There are always escape and
exit keys for the games and there is usually a button that gives you the
answer in times of desperation. Though the program is designed for use
with the mouse, there is maneuverability with the arrows and certain other
keys on the board if needed. Though you cannot really play the games where
dragging is required, you can always exit and enter using the keyboard.
The game is easy to install and runs fairly quickly with little to no wait
for loading games (if you have all of the recommended equipment).
The
microphone is appropriately and well used in the speech recognition portion
of the program. There is even an icon on the screen that tells you if your
microphone is on or off. It is used to its fullest potential in the practice
section of each listening game. You have the opportunity to hear a phrase,
record your voice, and then play it back followed by correct pronunciation
by the program. This part does go lacking in the level III conversation
portion in which you have no text to read, thus, you have to say what you
hear to the best of your ability. You may not pronounce the sentences correctly,
but it listens to hear if you made sufficient effort (i.e. close pronunciation
and intonation) to distinguish between the different options.
The support documentation is found in hard copy and in the program as text. It is very useful for more information and extensive study of the grammar of the language which is not really addressed in the games. The grammar book gives you words and pronunciations that are useful in playing some of the games, though there is always audio assistance within the program. This software could be implemented in a classroom where the culture and actual writing of the language can be taught. This would be necessary to get an overall understanding of the different aspects of the language. This software works on the language immersion approach and thus has no exercises in translation. It may be useful for some students to use the grammar book or some other form of dictionary or phrase book, to truly understand the meaning and differences between the affirmative and negative phrases used, as well as the sentences in the different levels. Syracuse provides an email address for customer service and technical support.
This software is very useful in the areas of vocabulary acquisition and comprehension, as well as beginning level reading. You can address certain lessons and choose exactly what you want to work on. This helps you focus your study and improve in any area that you want. The colors and graphics help keep most of the games from seeming like drills and the speech recognition is very helpful and well designed. These features also help liven up some games that may otherwise be a bit dull. Because it is aimed at eight year olds, it occasionally has too wide a margin for error for the adult language learner. Though there is some text on grammar in the grammar highlights section on the first page, there are no games that actually incorporate these principles or reinforce them. The lack of a structured sequence and cumulative assessment of progress may be frustrating for serious language learners using the program without other support. The program promotes self-regulation strategies and other metacognitive skills; however, one may learn certain strategies to manipulate the medium/program, and miss out on the language learning skills that the program promotes.The only field not covered is writing and translation (which is not addressed in many newer forms of language acquisition strategies). At times, knowing what to click on is a bit confusing, but overall, it is an excellent tool as an introduction to a language. It aides the learner in appreciating and valuing the language being learned by using games and social contexts, as well as graphics to motivate you and guide you through the learning process.