Ever had problems pronouncing a word or simply didn't know how to pronounce a word? Don't worry because Fervo has just solved all your pronouncing problems! Fervo is a simple Web 2.0 tool and the perfect tool to use in all my classes. It's not only very beneficial for all language learners, but also for native speakers of any language who want to pronounce correctly. What makes Fervo different from other translators is that people can add words, pronounce, or just listen and learn. It includes accents from all over the world and when you click on a word to listen to, it tells you the country the person is from. This powerful tool has recorded words from native speakers in over 200 languages, over 700,000 words, and continues to grow! There is more to this tool that makes it great and user friendly.
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Fervo's home page is well structured and has five main tabs: home, languages, categories, pronounce, and users. In the home page you can see the sites activity. For example, you see the number of speakers, words pronounced, and pending pronunciation; as well as, categories, and your own personal activity once you become a member. In the language tab you can see all the languages with the number of words pronounced and recent words pronounced beside each language. Further, each language has a code (en for English) and the activity that is happening in each language. The categories tab shows you all the categories. The pronounce tab shows you all the words that need to be pronounced in your language(s); which you can help by pronouncing and you can also can add words to your language. Finally, the users tab shows you all the users and the number of words they have pronounce.
Other perks about this site is that it's safe, it has an iphone app, you can vote on the best pronunciation, and you can receive messages from other users within the site. You can set up your privacy and also receive notifications from Fervo to your email. Overall, I think this Web 2.0 will be very useful to those who want to perfect their pronunciation or help others.
This is a great tool! I remember the times when I was afraid to use a certain word in fear of not pronouncing it correctly. Not only does this help in my language (English) but it will help when traveling abroad. I use to live overseas and I would always take a crash course if traveling to a non-English speaking country.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing.
Nelly,
ReplyDeleteI am glad that you mentioned this is not just for foreign language learners. Like Jacqueline, I too remember deciding against using a word because I was unsure of it pronunciation. It is important that we as educators do our best to remove the discomfort/embarrassment associated with learning. If too much is present, we will in some aspects loose our students.
Furthermore, this tool could spark interest in another language. The best time to learn a foreign language is when you are younger. I would have loved to have a resource like this on hand when I was younger. (or even when I was living in Espana) This can prove to be a fun tool for any age, and for either of the two reasons I mentioned. Thanks for sharing!