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Speech Recognition Technology in Language Learning
When second languages were taught in traditional classroom settings, the results were mixed. Generally only a small minority of students attained a truly native standard of the second language. In contrast when children were in frequent contact with people who spoke a second language, a much large percentage were able to pick up the second language to native speaker level.

One of the primary differences between learning language in a classroom and from interaction with native speakers was that in a classroom the written language was given precedence over spoken. Also there was limited feedback when the students did speak the second language. Teachers had little time to devote to each individual student helping them with say their pronunciation.

The advent of speech recognition software suggested that new approaches would be available. The US military was an early adopter of the use of such technology in language learning. However the cost of the hardware alone that was required was a significant barrier and delayed the roll-out of the technology. Whereas before the computer hardware required was bulky, now most smart-phones and tablet computers are powerful enough to run the software for the job. The costs of also dropped significantly.

We are now see a roll out of tablets and laptop to children in schools all over the world. The use of speech recognition technology has been growing too.