Creating Enhanced Audio
Materials to Help the 21st
Century Language
Learner
Marta Vessoni-Lence
Julio Rodriguez
Iowa State University
Presentation Plan

Creation of audio texts simulating real life
situations

Enhancing the texts to improve learning
Importance of Authentic Texts in Language Learning
“Authentic materials….
reflect real life listening, they
are relevant to the learners’
life and they allow for
exposure to different varieties
of language”
(Vandergrift, 2007, p. 200)
Importance of Authentic Texts in Language Learning
“With the focus on language, communication,
and culture in the national standards for foreign
language learning (Standards, 1999), foreign
language teachers are continually searching for
better ways of accessing authentic materials and
providing experiences that will improve their
students’ knowledge and skills in these target
areas”
(LeLoup & Ponterio, 2000, p. 1).
Authentic Texts
An authentic text is a stretch of real language,
produced by a real speaker or writer for a real
audience and designed to convey a real
message of some sort”
(Gilmore, 2007, p. 98).
How to Create Authentic Audio Texts
1) Creation of scenarios or “situations” (Di
Pietro , 1987)
2) Situations role-played by pair of native
speakers
2) Recording using
Creating the scenario or “situation”
(Di Pietro ,
1987)
Real life situations
Element of surprise/tension
Familiar topic to student
Real Life situations
to simulate authentic interactions
Example: Eating at a restaurant
Buying clothing
Celebrations
Family reunion
Element of surprise or tension
Information known by only one of the speakers
to create a more realistic and interesting environment
Familiar Topics
to account for student’s background knowledge
Example: Eating at a restaurant
Buying clothing
Celebrations
In the classroom
Example of created scenario or “situation”
Speaker 1(male from Colombia):
You are a waiter from Colombia working in the
U.S in the famous Mexican restaurant “El taco
Picante.” A very elegant and beautiful woman
walks into the restaurant and sits to be waited by
you. You feel “enchanted” by her beauty and
want to know more about her. Use all your
charm to impress her (e.g., use your culinary
knowledge and recommend a dish, etc).
Example of created scenario or “situation”
Speaker 2 (female):
You are a young businesswoman from Colombia
investing money in ethnic restaurants throughout
the U.S. You have recently bought “El Taco
Picante” restaurant and you have decided to check
its customer service and food quality by pretending
to be a regular client. Speaker 1 is a waiter in the
restaurant and he has no idea who you are. Careful!
At one point in your conversation you need to
disclose your true identity, but first, find out about
the service your new restaurant provides to its
customers.
Cultural Note
A piropo is a playful, engaging or poetic
compliment to a woman.
It is an expression of admiration for women’s
beauty
Example:
“If beauty were a sin, you would never be
forgiven”
“I am now sure there is a heaven because I have
seen an angel”.
How to create Authentic Texts
2) The scenario or “situation” is role-played by pair
of native speakers
3) Recorded using
recording and editing sounds)
(free software for
Characteristics of created text
Real -Spontaneous conversation
Culturally enriched vocabulary
Real native speakers’ accent
Culturally enriched situations (e.g.,
gender roles, different interactions of family
members, flirting , etc)
Recording
Editing sounds .
*Change speed of conversation
*Add music
Enhance authentic texts
How to enhance the created texts to improve learning
The recorded spontaneous conversation is transcribed
and carefully analyzed
Add Redundancy
Add Transparency
Add Signaling
Enhancing the created text
Redundancy
Redundancy, as explained by Long (2007),
can be accomplished through devices such
as repetition and paraphrasing of
information.
Example of Redundancy
1. Baseline version.
Speaker 2: No importa. Estoy pensándolo muy bien
acerca de dejarlo a usted como empleado. (It doesn’t
matter. I am seriously reconsidering if I should keep
you as an employee.)
2. Enhanced version (added redundancy)
Speaker 2: No importa. Estoy pensándolo muy bien
acerca de dejarlo a usted como empleado. Realmente
estoy pensando en que usted no debe trabajar más
en el restaurante. (It doesn’t matter. I am seriously
reconsidering if I should keep you as an employee. I
am truly thinking that you shouldn’t work here
anymore.)
Enhancing the created text
Transparency
Regularity, also referred to as transparency,
could be attained through such devices as
retention of optimal constituents and
making the subject explicit.
In Spanish: not dropping subject
pronouns in the sentence
Example of Transparency
1. Baseline version
Bueno…¿pero por qué jugos naturales? Le propongo algo más
fuerte, como para la noche. ¿Qué le parece un trago? (Well,
but why drinking a natural juice? I suggest something stronger,
suitable for the night. What about a drink?)
2. Enhanced version (added transparency)
Bueno… ¿pero por qué jugos naturales? Le propongo una
bebida más fuerte, como para la noche. ¿Qué le parece un trago?
(Well, but why drinking a natural juice? I suggest a stronger
beverage, something suitable for the night. What about a
drink?)
Enhancing the created text
Signaling
Lastly, explicit signaling of the thematic
structure, also referred to as signaling, can
be achieved through signaling major
propositions within the conversation or
important transition points in the text
(Long, 2007).
Example of Signaling
1. Baseline version.
Speaker 2: Yo soy la dueña de este restaurante y
precisamente vine aquí hoy porque quería darme cuenta,
saber, cómo los empleados están tratando a los clientes. (I
am the new owner of this restaurant and I came here today
to find out how our employees were relating to our
customers.)
2. Signaling-enhanced version.
Speaker 2: Yo soy la dueña de este restaurante y
precisamente la razón por la cual vine aquí hoy es porque
quería darme cuenta, saber, cómo los empleados están
tratando a los clients. (I am the owner of this restaurant
and the precise reason I came here today is to find out how
our employees were relating to our customers.)
Enhancing the created text
Record
Scenario
Transcribe
and analyze
Manually insert these
recordings enhancements
into baseline audio using
Audacity
Add extra language
containing
redundancy/transp
arency & signaling
Record the same
native speakers
reading added
language
(Audacity)
Example of authentic audio text created for
Intermediate Level language Learners at college
Level
My study
Which of the three elaborative devices is the most
effective in aiding intermediate-level language
learners’ comprehension of authentic aural texts?
Redundancy is the most effective due to that it increases
listeners’ inference of information from the text
Interpretation of Results
What accounts for the positive impact of redundancy on
learners’ inference of information from the aural text?
Redundancy provides an extra opportunity for a second
look at critical information, facilitating inferential
comprehension (Yano, Long & Ross, 1994).
Redundancy encourages use of top-down strategies by
allowing listeners to concentrate on understanding the
meaning and not focusing only on details.
 Redundancy allows learners to get access to background
information … facilitating comprehension through strategies
such as inferring information to compensate for unknown
words (Liu, 2003)
Suggested guidelines for developing authentic aural texts
Creation of redundancy-enhanced texts ( good choice in
assisting with inference of information).
Consider learners’ proficiency level.
Include elaborative devices that make cultural references
explicit.
Attention to speed of conversation.
 Consider using Audacity, free open-source for audio
recording and editing (easily available, free, easy to use)
Implications of this study
Suggested guidelines for selecting aural texts for
instruction
 Raise learners’ awareness of cultural differences.
 Take into account language learners’ preferences of
authentic texts:
redundancy-enhanced authentic texts provide an
opportunity to comprehend texts simulating real-life
situations and language and are more comprehensible
to intermediate-level learners than non-elaborated texts.
To download go to:
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/download/