From Speech is Special to Computer Aided Language Learning

After describing the belief that speech is special, empirical and theoretical research is reviewed undermining the tenets of this belief. A new framework is presented as a theoretical framework for language learning. Central to this framework is the natural ease of multimodal perception, particularly the value of visible speech. The value of synthetic talking heads is described along with their potential in language learning. Embedded in a speech toolkit platform, containing speech synthesis, recognition and interactive tools, an immediate goal is to teach vocabulary, speech, and reading.