Chapter published in:
Linguistic Approaches to Portuguese as an Additional Language
Edited by Karina Veronica Molsing, Cristina Becker Lopes Perna and Ana Maria Tramunt Ibaños
[Issues in Hispanic and Lusophone Linguistics 24] 2020
► pp. 231–258

Autonomous Portuguese L3 learning through an adaptive platform

| University of Maryland
| University of Maryland
| George Mason University
| University of Maryland
| University of Maryland
| US Department of Defense
| University of Maryland
Despite increasing need for on-demand, autonomous language learning, difficult technical issues render this approach insufficient without a human in the loop (e.g., blended learning). In this chapter, we discuss how recent advances in human language technology (HLT), cognitive science, and second language acquisition (SLA) combined can address seemingly intractable problems (e.g., intelligent feedback on error). We introduce an HLT-enabled adaptive language learning platform and examine the results from a pilot study in which English native speakers highly proficient in Spanish as a second language used the platform to learn Portuguese as a third language. Such “conversion” training from Spanish to Portuguese provides an ideal testbed for these innovative HLT and SLA ideas.
Keywords: autonomous learning, adaptive learning, language learning technology, cognitive science, human language technology, L3 acquisition, educational data mining
Article outline
  • Introduction
    • The third language learning context
    • Spanish to Portuguese conversion
    • Existing HLT capabilities
    • The current prototype
  • Methods
    • Participants
      • Pilot 1
      • Pilot 2
      • Subject matter experts
  • Results
    • Overall usage statistics
    • Lexical environment of the platform
    • Individual tailoring
  • Discussion
  • Conclusions
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 26 March 2020
https://doi.org/10.1075/ihll.24.09lin
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