This posting is a follow up to the post on iPronounce! (with an exclamation point) and focuses on a newer version of the same app now called iPronounce (without the exclamation point).
AtoZ Studio Private Limited. (2013). iPronounce (Version 2.0) [Mobile application software]. Retrieved from http://www.itunes.com
Price. $0.99
Icon for the app iPronounce
iPronounce corrects some of the technical problems found in iPronounce! Please read my previous post for more details; this post will focus on what new aspects I could learn.
To use this app, I had to turn my iPad upside down (the app would not correct for orientation, as other apps do). This could be an issue for those who use some iPad cases and stands. This new app still crashes like its predecessor, but at least the keyboard functions for the two games that need it. The use of the keyboard, however, blanks out the entire game screen. This means that you cannot see transcription or the screen to hear the audio when typing in your response. The app also does not account for homophones. For example, I heard /ay/ pronounced and typed in “I,” but was told that the correct answer was “eye.”
Screen shot of “Listen” game for the app iPronounce on an iPhone 6
What confuses is me is having two versions of the exact same app in the iTunes store (all of the audio and visuals appear to be the same). This means that AtoZ Studio Private Limited is selling two versions of the exact same app for the exact same price. Both versions of this app consistently crashed on my new iPad Air 2. One notable difference in iPronounce (without the exclamation point) is that is works on the iPhone and the keyboard functions. I tried the app on my iPhone 6 and found that it also crashed frequently (I never could complete a single game). Additionally, the “Listen” game on my iPhone did not fit on the screen, making it impossible for me to play this game. For a newer and revised version of an older app, this edition also misses the mark.
DJ’s Perspective
My take on this app is nearly same as AtoZ’s previous version, iPronounce! Aside from consistently crashing, the greatest drawback of this app is using British transcriptions matched with audio clips of a computerized voice using an American variety. With no real practice with the sounds beyond games, there is little pedagogical value to this app. Using live humans rather than computer-simulated speech should be standard on all apps focused on pronunciation, making this app sub-standard.
DJ Kaiser, PhD
djkaiser@webster.edu
Note: Posted evaluations of iOS apps are done from the perspective of a teacher educator and English pronunciation specialist. The intended readers for these posts are English language learners seeking to improve their intelligibility through pronunciation practice and ESL/EFL instructors who may be asked to recommend appropriate resources. The intention of these posts is to help learners and instructors make educated decisions about resources they may use to work on English pronunciation skills. See this post for more.
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