Scaling up in Speaking Proficiency by Supporting Robust Learning Behaviors

As language learners scale up in terms of speaking proficiency, they expand the volume of expressions in the target language that they can use in a robust fashion, combining vocabulary and syntactic structures into novel constructions and transferring them to new contexts. In the ISLET Project, sponsored by the Office of Naval Research (ONR), we have developed a strategy for allowing a dialog-rich language and culture training system to keep up with this expressive growth. The strategy comprises metrics, methods, and software tools aimed at achieving the necessary increase in coverage to support language learners at an ACTFL Intermediate High speaking level.