The Language Teacher
September 2000
A Computer-Based Vocabulary Resource Database for ISL/EL Education
Richard Gilbert & Matsuno Ryoji
Prefectural University of Kumamoto
Through the application of recent compression and streaming technologies, the development of a bilingual vocabulary database for beginning students of Japanese or English is now feasible. Some of the goals embodied in developing this JSL/ EFL Vocabulary Database Program are to accelerate and enhance language learning for beginning students of Japanese or English, and to provide a dual-language interface that can be easily accessed in a multiplicity of educational environments. As multimedia technologies, computer speed, Internet bandwidth and storage options evolve, uniquely powerful multimedia educational tools become easier to design, implement, and utilize. A multimedia resource database such as the Vocabulary Database Program is able to provide novel functions and creative options for learning. By applying multimedia-streaming technologies and or DVD/CD-ROM implementations, worldwide access and distance learning can become educational options.
Developing a Bilingual Multimedia Vocabulary Database
In recent years, multimedia technologies and the Internet have rapidly evolved, while at the sam time computers have become much more powerful and affordable. Worldwide, millions of new computers are entering classrooms and homes each year. As the next century approaches, it has become possible for the first time to design and implement bilingual multimedia resource databases that provide both video and audio or each wold entry and demonstration sentence contained in the database. Previously such a program was impractical, due to storage and speed limitations. Making use of new compression and streaming technologies, we are developing bilingual resource database for beginning students of Japanese or English. The bilingual multimedia vocabulary database program (MVDP) can be accessed through a LAN, the Internet or CD/DVDROM. Utilizing various modes of implementation allows for numerous user and teaching options, such as academic classroom use, distance learning, and worldwide access through the Internet. Program software allows the database to be accessed and searched by several methods, including: (a) word entry, (b) partial- word entry, (c) jump searches and jump searches across languages, (d) lexical category searches, and (e) lexical correspondence searches. It also allows for text search- strings to be entered in roman, kana, and kanji characters.
We first began the MVDP project in order to provide a basic vocabulary resource that would be convenient and easy to use for beginning students studying either the Japanese or English language. With regard to English- speaking learners of Japanese (JSL learners), Japanese words and sentence text appears in a typical kana and kanji written style. This benefits JSL learners by providing accurate examples of writing. JSL learners will often have trouble deciphering kanji pronunciations, therefore, a "furigana" system of kanji pronunciation is provided -- whenever the student performs a mouse-over of the kanji contained in a word entry or sample sentence, the kana associated with the kanji appear in a small box above the kanji. Thus, a JSL student without the ability to read kanji is able to acquire the proper kanji pronunciations. JSL learners need only be familiar with the hiragana script. With regard to Japanese learners of English (EFL learners), these students will benefit from associating written English, with its many spelling idiosyncrasies, to the spoken word. English pronunciation can be aided by playing multimedia clips that demonstrate a native-speaker's mouth-movements and intonation. We feel that a multimedia resource database incorporating these design features can make a contribution to language education and provide new and enjoyable learning opportunities for students while also enabling teachers to develop strategies that incorporate computer-aided education into course curricula.
Currently, we are in an initial stage of development. After researching a number of word-frequency resources, we have developed a database that approximates the 2000 most frequently used English words (see Proctor, 1978). We have added an additional database list of some 225 words and sentences related to computers and information technology. Each English word entry has been matched with a synonymous word in Japanese. A sample sentence using the word, in both languages, has been composed. Thus, each bilingual entry represents an English/Japanese word-pair and sentence-pair with nearly identical meanings mirrored between the two languages. After locating an entry, a user can optionally read, hear and or view a multimedia demonstration of the word or sentence, in either language. Additionally, lexical searches can find words of similar lexical definition, or a user can find new words through lexical correspondence.
Fig 1. Bilingual Vocabulary Database Pro Main Window;
Description of MVDP functions
We have designed the user interface of the MVDP to be as easy to use as possible, so that an EFL/JSL student can devote his or her main energies to associated learning tasks, rather than struggling with a computer interface. If students were forced to spend large amounts of time in learning a software package it is likely that it would rarely be accessed. We have planned our program strategy to provide for multimodal user searching via an easy, comprehensible program interface. Below is an illustration of the main program window. We will describe the bilingual MVDP in more detail in the following section.
A First Look
The multimedia vocabulary program is composed o two primary interface windows, the main window, above, and the lexicon window, illustrated in "Lexical Category Searches," below.
Topic 1. Within "How to use this dictionary," English users will find important setup information, such as where to locate and download the Japanese language pack freeware support associated with the Microsoft Internet Explorer 4/5 browser (IE-4/5). This software, which is easily installed, will allow non-Japanese Windows 95/ 98 OS systems to read and input Japanese characters. In this situation, the multimedia vocabulary database is set up as a web site on a server, and can therefore be accessed through a student's web browser software.
Topic 2. "What is kana?" is provided to explain the kana scripts and indicate the need for hiragana knowledge -- a requirement for reading kanji pronunciations. Generally speaking, students who are using the database to increase Japanese vocabulary knowledge will likely either be studying, or will have previously mastered hiragana. This section also refers users to educational materials for learning kana, and directs the user to the two buttons on the lower-right side of the GUI window: "Hiragana Table" and "Katakana Table." Pressing either button reveals the respective kana chart, with pronunciation guides annotated in romaji (roman letters). Topic 3. "Dictionary Functions" describes basic dictionary usage functions, as described just below in "Japanese Help": The "Japanese Help" button is a mirror of the afore-mentioned
Topic 3 "Dictionary Functions" in the "English Help" section. Topic 3 provides information relating to these dictionary functions: (a) word entry, (b) partial-word entry, (c) jump searches and jump searches across languages, (d) lexical category searches, (e) lexical correspondence searches, (f) other features.
Word entry
The word entry window on the upper-left side allows users to type in words. When a word is typed in Roman letters, English words appear in the database window on the left side, with Japanese translations on the right, parallel to the English entries. The reverse is true for words entered in kana or kanji. Single-clicking on any word entry displayed in the database window allows for use of the multimedia tools. By pressing either the "Sound" or "Movie" buttons, the user can hear and or see the selected word spoken. If a film clip or sound file has not been associated to the entry, the "Sound" or "Movie" button will not automatically highlight. Double-clicking on any word in the database first highlights the field (single-click), then (double-click), displays the sample sentence-pair within the sentence windows located on the center-right side of the GUI. If an English word is double-clicked, an English sentence appears in the top window. The reverse happens when a Japanese word is double-clicked. Clicking anywhere in a sentence allows that sentence to be heard and/or seen, when the "Sound" or "Movie" buttons are pressed. These buttons are located just below the sentence windows. A Quick-Time video clip can be seen playing, bottom center, in the "Main Window" illustration.
Partial word entry
Letters, kana and or kanji representing partial word entries can be entered (in a manner similar to "Word Entry," above), and the program will display all the words in the database that contain letters matching the entry. Entries containing (?) and (*) can be used in making partial word-searches, where (?) represents a single unknown roman letter, kana or kanji, and (*) represents an indeterminate number of characters. So typing "a*ment" will find both "Argument" and "Agreement." Typing "A???ment" will only find "Argument." Typing the letter "a" will find all English words beginning with "a": typing hiragana "ka" will find all Japanese words beginning with the character "ka." Typing (hiragana) "*ka" will find all Japanese words containing the character "ka" somewhere within the word. The program works in a similar fashion for kanji. The program is not case sensitive.
Jump searches & jump searches across languages
Jump searching can occur in a number of ways. Often a jump search will occur when a user wants to find a translation for an unfamiliar word occurring within a sample sentence. Whether in Japanese or English, one or any number of consecutive kanji, words, or letters, can be highlighted. Right-clicking within the highlighted area brings up a menu. Choosing "Search" allows you to search for all entries that match the highlighted section. If the "Search All Sentences" box is checked (located just below the database window), all sample sentences containing that word (or kanji, or phrase) are searched for, and the sentence-selection results are displayed in the sentence windows. Importantly, if the "Search All Sentences" box is checked, the user can locate all sentences within which any word in the database is to be found -- the user simply highlights a word, right-clicks the mouse, and chooses "Search." All sentence-search results will be displayed in the sentence windows. Within English sample-sentences, double-clicking on any English word highlights it.
When jump searching across languages, a student may start with an English word lookup, then find a Japanese sentence that mirrors the English sentence. Examining the Japanese sentence, the student sees an unfamiliar word, highlights it, searches, and finds the translation of that word in English. Finally, the student can observe an additional usage of the new word by examining the sample-sentences that accompany the new word, in the database.
Fig.2.Lexicon Window
Lexical category searches
The bilingual resource database contains two mirror-lexicons. Pressing the "J-LEXICON" button on the toolbar activates a pop-up window, with the lexicon list appearing, as on the figure to the right, though in Japanese. Pressing the "E-LEXICON" button causes the pop-up menu list seen at the right to appear. The lexicon has three hierarchical levels, which can be opened and closed by clicking in the associated squares to the left of the major categories. In the figure to the right, the tripartite hierarchical levels are shown for "1. THE LIVING WORLD," which is one of 14 global categories. Within this category," the second-order categories are "A) LIFE," "B) ANIMALS," and "C) PLANTS." By double-clicking on any of the third-order categories (visible beneath UA) LIFE," and "C) PLANTS"), the chosen category is moved to the word entry window (within the main window), and the word-lists associated with the lexical category appear in the database window. The bilingual vocabulary database lexical categories, originally inspired by the Cambridge English Lexicon, have been simplified, condensed, and lexically altered in order to suit the needs of second-language beginners. The lexicon lists can be accessed through the "Options" pull down menu, or by right-clicking the mouse, and choosing "J-LEXICON or E-LEXICON from the mouse menu.
Lexical Correspondence
Lexical correspondence allows the user to associate any word in the database to other, lexically related words. By highlighting and right-clicking on the chosen word, a menu appears which allows the user to choose "Lexical Search." After making this choice, the program automatically puts the lexicon category title in the word entry window, and the search-word will be found beneath, still highlighted, and within the listing of lexically related words in the database window. Double-clicking on other words in the lexical list causes sample sentences to appear in the sentence windows.
Other functions
The "Options" pull-down menu contains a "Dictionary" tab. When selected, a default folder opens, which contains the database files used by the bilingual vocabulary database. The user can selectively load one or more databases into the program. Currently, there are two database files that have been created: the "word-frequency" database and the "information technology" database; both can be loaded concurrently. The mouse right-click menu contains "Copy" and "Paste" functions, allowing the user to move information within the bilingual vocabulary database and to other programs, if there is associated language support. The "File" pull-down menu contains an "Exit" tab, which closes the program.
Pilot Study
In a pilot study, a group of six false-beginner level EFL students were given CD-ROM copies of the MVDP to test for a period of two months. The students were third-year undergraduates studying in the Liberal Arts (Sogo-Kanri) faculty of The Prefectural University of Kumamoto, Kumamoto, Japan, and involved in a seminar on information processing. The use of the MVDP was not a requirement for the seminar, and the seminar grading process was not based on the respondents' answers or ability to utilize the MVDP. At the end of the trial period, students were interviewed, and anecdotal information was gathered. Subsequent studies, with larger groups and controls will need to be carried out at some stage in the future. Students were asked how they liked the program, useful features, problems, areas for improvement, desired features, and whether the program would be valuable for studying English in a college classroom setting.
All of the students found the program easy to use, and they generally liked (a) the ease with which search words could be entered, (b) the mirrored (audio-visual, where applicable) means of bilingual presentation, and (c) the lexicon search function. The most useful feature reported was the ability of the MVDP to play QuickTime video of English words. Being able to hear, see, and repeat a native speaker's pronunciation of terms instilled confidence. The second most useful feature was the presentation of bilingual sentences, combined with the ability to easily search terms within the English sentence. Frustrations were most evident concerning the small size of the database, and the lack of additional usage variations for some individual entries. Another area of frustration concerned the lack of portability of computer-based media. Along with requests for database expansion, suggestions for improvements included the addition of voice synthesis for all the sentences presented, in both Japanese and English, as a useful tool for study. Students felt that with improvements, and especially within classes that utilized computer-assisted language learning (CALL) EFL materials, the program would be quite helpful.
We would concur with the survey results that the area most in need of development to make the MVDP a useful educational tool is the expansion of the database. It must be admitted that creating bilingual sentences with mirrored meanings for each usage of each entry is slow going, requiring many hours of preparation and quality control through independent critical analysis of usage sentences. As well, portability is always an issue with CALL media. We do expect that in the next few years students will be able to enjoy several novel portable computing options, for instance E-Book notebooks, or other, similarly advanced, PDA devices. Such devices will likely become available and more affordable (or free) for students, in the near future. In (LAN-based) business environments and for autonomous (or distance learning) home study, portability is less of a concern; the MVDP runs easily on laptop computers. In response to student input, we are currently developing voice synthesis modules that can synthesize speech, in either Japanese or English, for any highlighted word, phrase, or sentence within the MVDP program.
Conclusion
There are several excellent bilingual translation dictionary software packages now available in the marketplace. Nearly all of these programs are designed primarily for Japanese speakers learning English. Even considering the high cost of some of these programs, a database containing hundreds of thousands of words, and including all common word usages, will likely be preferred for the more advanced language student. Unfortunately, as these programs include kana and kanji symbol processing, they are unable to run on non-Japanese platforms, and cannot be implemented over a LAN or the Internet. This situation effectively limits the JSL student to running these programs only on Japanese only OS systems, thus forestalling access to such programs. A great advantage of the MVDP is that it can be implemented through Internet browser software, and allows for use of the MS IE-4/5 Japanese Language Pack freeware. Thus, JSL language-learners may effectively study Japanese from almost any location in the world, and on any Windows 95/98 platform. Another advantage of the MVDP, particularly for the EFL student, lies in its mode and means of presentation. Multimedia integration allows for pronunciation practice and visual reinforcement to be included concurrently with semantic acquisition.
In the future, we plan on adding further database resources, including a matching list of the 2000 highest-frequency Japanese words, multiple examples of word usage, enhanced search capabilities, and additional means allowing for user-customized additions to the database. Most importantly, we are planning to continue building our database to in- corporate a much greater number of word entries and word usages. As Internet connection speeds increase around the world, it will become possible to develop and implement more dramatic and lengthy bilingual multimedia presentations; we also plan on including typical dialogues enacted in situational-functional contexts, at a future date.
References
J. Carroll, Davies, P. & Richman, R. (1971). The America heritage word frequef1cy book. New York: American Heritage Pub. Co.,
Downing, D., Covington, M. & Covington, M. (1996). Dictionary of computer and Internet terms. (5th ed.). New York: Barron's Educational Series, Inc.,
Francis, N, & Kucera, H. (1982). Frequency analysis of English usage. New York: Houghton
Mifflin Co.
Hindmarsh, R. (1980). Cambridge English lexicon. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Kucera, H. & Francis, N. (1967). Computational analysis of present-day American English. Providence, RI: Brown University Press,
Proctor, P. (1978). Defining vocabulary: 2000 Words. In Longman dictionary of co1temporary English. London: Longman.
Richard Gilbert received his Ph.D. in Poetics and Psychology from The Union Institute Cincinnati Ohio in 1990. He has been teaching ESL at the college level in Kumamoto Japan for three years. His research interest is mainly focused on two areas: developing CALL ESL/JSL software and English and Japanese haiku studies related to ESL education. <http://ww7.tiki.ne.jp/~gilbert/research.htm> <richard_gilbert@email.com>
Matsuno Ryoji received his Master's Degree in Electronic Science from Kumamoto University, in 1974. He has been a professor in the Faculty of Administration at the Prefectural University of Kumamoto for the past six years, and has been teaching at the university level for over 25 years. His main area of research concerns the authoring of computer-based educational multimedia and multimedia systems. <matsuno@pu-kumamoto.ac.jp>
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