SpeechIndexer: A Flexible Software for Audio-Visual Language Learning

This paper presents SpeechIndexer as a software tool to create teaching and learning material for language courses and as an e-learning program to train the oral comprehension and speech production. We introduce the player function where students can follow speech and text closely and the role play function that allows the learner to get involved in a dialog. Teachers can create material from the vast amount of speech recordings available (audio books, radio and TV podcasts, language learning CDs, etc.) that specifically match the knowledge level and interest of individual students or the whole class. The software may complement regular language courses or may serve to teach languages where teaching and learning material scarcely exist, e.g. endangered languages that have a pure oral tradition.