"LingQ" Application
Description of LingQ application LingQ is an online and available as an iOS app based language learning system. It is invented by Steve Kaufmann who speaks 11 languages. LingQ includes tools for 11 languages: Chinese (Mandarin), English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Swedish. It follows input-based method which Steve has used in learning foreign languages. The output also is not neglected; users pay for "points" to spend in the system to speak with tutors or these points can be earned by helping other learners. These points allow users to communicate with tutors and get their writing corrected by native speakers. The idea of the application is to look up and save new words and phrases users meet in the process of reading. It emphasizes listening and reading tasks in which a vast collection of reading and listening material is available for users. The lessons are arranged to levels, beginners (1 and 2), intermediate (1and2) and advanced (1 and 2). The users can select the lesson according to their level in the language they want to learn. LingQ offers free and paid options and in the free version only up to 5 lessons user can download, and there are free flashcards to learn vocabulary which are available there.
My experience In this report, I will focus on the free option, how I used it, and its points of strength and its points of weakness. I have downloaded the App on my Apple iphone device iOS8. Only registration for free is available on the app, and only one language that users can select to learn. I have chosen French language as the language that I want to learn. My level is beginner (1) and according to my level I select lessons. The number of courses I can import from the library is limited to 5 courses but I can delete finished courses and add new ones. Each course has a number of lessons and each lesson is provided with the number of new words presented in it. The lesson is a text that consists of short sentences or phrases about a certain topic. Each lesson is supplied with an audio recording of the text. All the words are highlighted in blue at first as unknown or new words. This means that I can check the dictionary to look up the meaning of the new words or phrases by taping on them. The saved words will be highlighted in yellow which means that I'm still learning them (i.e. I can check dictionary for hints) and they will be highlighted in yellow in the future texts. After I become familiar with these words and phrases, the blue words will be moved to known and I can't check dictionary any more. The text appears in sentence mode, full text mode and flashcard mode. I switch to the mode that I want during the process of learning. Once lessons are downloaded, I can add them automatically to Playlists icon to read them or listen to them offline. All in all, I have been using LingQ app for about 30 days and it was a good app for learning a new language. I learned a bunch of French words and phrases in a quite short time. I would recommend it for beginners like me who are interested in learning foreign languages.
Pros and cons of LingQ application After using LingQ for quite a while, here are some of the good features I have come to like the most: Automaticity in Saving Words When you use a LingQ, words can be saved automatically by taping on them. So, you can go back to the lesson and find the words as you left them last time. Yellow Highlights The saved words appear highlighted in yellow. They will be highlighted in all future texts till you move them to known words. This feature allows you to remind yourself of the meaning and the pronunciation of these words. Flexibility in Hints To look up the meaning of a word or a phrase, you can search popular hints, add your own or copy and paste from available multilingual dictionaries. The user can create hints or definitions of words which helps in increasing retention and understanding of new words and phrases. Various types of Content What I like about LingQ is that it doesn't restrict you to a specific type of content. Lessons cover a wide range of abilities and interests and you can import your own lessons according to what he wants to learn. The library provides you with multiple lessons and you browse them by topic or level. You can click on a lesson to see how many new words it presents. Useful E-mails as a feedback
From time to time, LingQ shows you your weekly progress in a statistical schedule. This weekly report emails are helpful to encourage learners to continue their learning. Also, some email massages provide learners with some tips and a sample study plan for the next week. Weaknesses There are two things that I did not like about LingQ and they are not weaknesses per se but more like limitations: Paid points LingQ is a paid system and in order to be able to use other features, like speaking with tutors and getting your writing corrected you have to pay for points to access this feature. In the free version of LingQ app, emphasis is on reading and listen skills. You can't practice speaking and writing skills. Limitations in importing lessons In the free version of LingQ, you can only download a limited number of lessons (up to 5 lessons. To add a new lesson, you have to delete a previous lesson from your courses page. Conclusion Learning a new language is an intensive-labor process which needs time and patience. For me, during this short period of time in experiencing LingQ, I think it’s a good source for learning a foreign language. Moreover, to get use of it you have to use it for a long time to increase your level of proficiency.
Here is a video on what is LingQ? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MC5NaKdZdg