The Efficacy of Spell Check Packages Specifically Designed for Second Language Learners of Spanish.

Generic spelling checkers (GSCs), such as the one included in Microsoft Word, might seem appropriate for second language (L2) learners of Spanish to correct their writing. However, previous applied linguistics researchers point out that these proof-readers are designed primarily for native writers;...

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Publicado en:Pertanika Journal of Social Sciences & Humanities Vol. 27; no. 2; pp. 847 - 862
Autores principales: BIazquez, Migucl, Fan, Catherine
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: Universiti Putra Malaysia Jun2019
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Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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        atl: The Efficacy of Spell Check Packages Specifically Designed for Second Language Learners of Spanish.
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          BIazquez, Migucl
          Fan, Catherine
        affil:
          Facultad de Filología, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED), Escuela de Doctorado, Calle de Bravo Murillo, 38, 28015 Madrid, Spain
          Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford, Parks Road, OX1 3PJ, Oxford, UK
      su:
        Second language acquisition
        Spell checkers (Computer programs)
        Spanish language
        Proofreading
        Orthography & spelling
      sug:
        subj:
          Second language acquisition
          Spell checkers (Computer programs)
          Spanish language
          Proofreading
          Orthography & spelling
      keyword:
        Accuracy of spell checkers
        computer assisted language learning
        L2 spelling acquisition
        Microsoft Word
        orthography
        self-correction
        Spanish as a foreign language
        written corrective feedback
      ab: Generic spelling checkers (GSCs), such as the one included in Microsoft Word, might seem appropriate for second language (L2) learners of Spanish to correct their writing. However, previous applied linguistics researchers point out that these proof-readers are designed primarily for native writers; they automatically correct some mistakes or provide alternatives, while sometimes failing to detect L2 learners' errors. This study evaluates the efficacy of spell-check packages developed for L2 learners to overcome these limitations. Thirty compositions written by learners of Spanish as a Foreign Language (SFL) were randomly chosen from a corpus. Spelling mistakes in the compositions were analysed, categorised and inputted into three specially designed spell checkers. Their efficacy in detecting and providing appropriate feedback was compared with a GSC. The results suggest that, despite detecting more than 85% of the errors, all the platforms fail to give the appropriate alternative for one third of the spelling errors. Surprisingly, the GSC provided the right alternative more frequently (67%). Additionally, the feedback provided by the specialised spell checkers is limited to a list of potential alternatives. Future iterations of spell checkers should include an expanded database of frequent L2 spelling errors for comparison and feedback that is tailored to L2 learners of Spanish and teaches them how to avoid future mistakes.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
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    language: English
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