A Language Learning Tool for the Gadgetophile

By Eric N.

I like gadgets, I have to admit. Some of them are even useful, such as Diamond Multimedia's Rio PMP300, which I've been using for several months now. (Disclaimer: I have no connection with Diamond MM or the Rio other than being a satisfied customer.)

I am reasonably far along in learning a minority language in the Philippines. Unfortunately, I'm not able to live full-time in places where this language is spoken, but must content myself with shorter trips and using a language tutor. This is not the best language-learning situation.

Earlier this year, I purchased a Rio, and found it to be very helpful. The Rio is a solid-state digital audio player. It is lightweight, and runs almost forever on a single AA battery. Since there are no moving parts, it can't skip. You must have a computer to make use of a Rio, since there is no way to load something into the Rio's memory other than download it from your computer (via the printer port).

You can't be terrified of computers to make good use of the Rio, but you don't have to be a wizard, either.

Here is how I make use of the Rio: On my trips to the village, I use a tape recorder to collect stories, either contemporary narratives, oral traditions, instructions on how to make something, whatever. When I get back to my computer (in Manila) I transfer the stories from tape to my hard

disk. You need a sound card -- which most computers today have -- to do this. You can use Microsoft's built-in Sound Recorder software, or pay for somewhat better software. (I use a registered copy of Syntrillium's CoolEdit96 which you can get at www.syntrillium.com, because it has tools to eliminate tape hiss.) Then you need to convert these audio files (in .wav format) to the format that the Rio uses (.mp3). If you are using CoolEdit96, they have a plug-in which can create mp3. I use Xing's AudioCatalyst software (www.xingtech.com). You only need to create the mp3 once. Once you have an mp3, you can delete the massive .wav files. The mp3 is a compressed audio format, and the software which creates mp3 files will let you decide whether you want high-quality, larger compressed files, or lesser-quality, smaller compressed files. The high-quality is good for CD-quality music. For language learning, you won't need the high-quality, and being able to fit more material into your Rio is a plus.

Once you have mp3 files, you download them into your Rio, using the software which came with it. Once downloaded, they are like tracks of a CD.

The first few times I listen to a new story, I do it at my desk, and listen very carefully, writing down any words I don't know, etc. Most of the time, I go ahead and make a complete transcription of the story. (The Rio's A-B button makes this really *easy* -- **much** easier than using a tape. The A-B lets you repeat any snippet of the recording indefinitely.)

I carry my Rio whenever I'm running errands, walking through a grocery store, or while I'm exercising. On my Rio, I have interspersed the stories with music I like (and *own* -- don't make illegal copies of copyrighted material), because I find it works best to have periods of listening to the stories interspersed with breaks. It reduces the intensity.

As I listen to the same story over and over again, I begin to learn the vocab, and then I start noticing ways of expressing something I hadn't known before. The familiarity aids this.

I have probably added 10 to 15 hours per week of listening practice using the Rio. Here's what I paid for my hardware and software: Rio, $110 after $50 rebate; Syntrillium CoolEdit96, $50 (don't get the cheaper $25 version); Xing AudioCatalyst 2.0, $30.