Chinese / English vocabulary learning tool

• US 8,328,558 B2
• Filed: 01/13/2012
• Issued: 12/11/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Chen, Yen-Fu, Dunsmoir, John W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Utama, Robert J
• Application Number:
  US13/350,534
• Publication Number:
  US 20120178058A1
• Time in Patent Office: 333 Days
• Field of Search: 434156-157, 434/322, 434/323, 434/350
• US Class Current: 434/156
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/04 Speaking with audible presentation of the material to be studied G09B5/04
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/06 Foreign languages with audible presentation of material to be studied G09B5/04
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/02 of the type wherein the student is expected to construct an answer to the question which is presented or wherein the machine gives an answer to the question presented by a student

Abstract

In a method for teaching a vocabulary, a computer receives a user selection of a chapter from a plurality of chapters in a Chinese-English textbook, a user selection of a language in which to display questions in a user interface, wherein the language in which to display the questions is one of English, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, and Pin Yin, and a user selection of a language in which to receive answers to the questions in the user interface, wherein the language in which to receive the answers is another of the one of English, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, and Pin Yin. The computer determines a question including a vocabulary word in the chapter and in the language in which to display the questions. In response to receiving an answer to the question in the language in which to receive the answers, the computer determines if the answer is correct.

Claims

1. A method for teaching a vocabulary, the method comprising:

a computer receiving a user selection of a chapter from a plurality of chapters in a Chinese-English textbook, the chapter including a plurality of vocabulary words;

the computer receiving a user selection of a language in which to display questions in a user interface, wherein the language in which to display the questions is one of English, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, and Pin Yin;

the computer receiving a user selection of a language in which to receive answers to the questions in the user interface, wherein the language in which to receive the answers is another one of English, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, and Pin Yin, such that the language in which to display the questions and the language in which to receive the answers are different;

the computer determining a question, the question including a vocabulary word of the plurality of vocabulary words in the language in which to display the questions;

the computer receiving an answer to the question in the language in which to receive the answers, the answer including a vocabulary word; and

in response to receiving the answer, the computer determining if the answer is a correct answer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the vocabulary word in the question or the vocabulary word in the answer is in Simplified Chinese, and wherein the computer determining if the answer is a correct answer comprises the computer translating the vocabulary word in the question or the vocabulary word in the answer into Traditional Chinese, the translating comprising accessing a Simplified Chinese/Traditional Chinese conversion table.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer determining if the answer is a correct answer comprises the computer determining that the vocabulary word in the question and the vocabulary word in the answer both match an entry in a Traditional Chinese/Pin Yin/English dictionary encoded in Unicode.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the computer associating, with each vocabulary word in the plurality of vocabulary words, a value indicating a likelihood that the vocabulary word associated with the value will appear in a question.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the computer, responsive to determining that the answer is a correct answer, decrementing a value associated with the vocabulary word indicating a likelihood that the vocabulary word will appear in a question.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the computer, responsive to determining that the answer is an incorrect answer, incrementing a value associated with the vocabulary word indicating a likelihood that the vocabulary word will appear in a question.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

the computer, responsive to determining that the values associated with the plurality of vocabulary words equal a pre-determined value, indicating that the chapter is completed.

8. A computer program product for teaching a vocabulary, the computer program product comprising:

one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices;

program instructions that are stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices and that, when executed by a processor, receive a user selection of a chapter from a plurality of chapters in a Chinese-English textbook, the chapter including a plurality of vocabulary words;

program instructions that are stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices and that, when executed by a processor, receive a user selection of a language in which to display questions in a user interface, wherein the language in which to display the questions is one of English, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, and Pin Yin;

program instructions that are stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices and that, when executed by a processor, receive a user selection of a language in which to receive answers to the questions in the user interface, wherein the language in which to receive the answers is another one of English, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, and Pin Yin, such that the language in which to display the questions and the language in which to receive the answers are different;

program instructions that are stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices and that, when executed by a processor, determine a question, the question including a vocabulary word of the plurality of vocabulary words in the language in which to display the questions;

program instructions that are stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices and that, when executed by a processor, receive an answer to the question in the language in which to receive the answers, the answer including a vocabulary word; and

program instructions that are stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices and that, when executed by a processor, determine if the answer is a correct answer in response to receiving the answer.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the vocabulary word in the question or the vocabulary word in the answer is in Simplified Chinese, and wherein the program instructions that determine if the answer is a correct answer comprise program instructions to translate the vocabulary word in the question or the vocabulary word in the answer into Traditional Chinese, and wherein the program instructions that translate comprise program instructions that access a Simplified Chinese/Traditional Chinese conversion table.

10. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the program instructions that determine if the answer is a correct answer comprise program instructions that determine that the vocabulary word in the question and the vocabulary word in the answer both match an entry in a Traditional Chinese/Pin Yin/English dictionary encoded in Unicode.

11. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising:

program instructions that are stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices and that, when executed by a processor, associate, with each vocabulary word in the plurality of vocabulary words, a value indicating a likelihood that the vocabulary word associated with the value will appear in a question.

12. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising:

program instructions that are stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices and that, when executed by a processor and in response to determining that the answer is a correct answer, decrement a value associated with the vocabulary word indicating a likelihood that the vocabulary word will appear in a question.

13. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising:

program instructions that are stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices and that, when executed by a processor and in response to determining that the answer is an incorrect answer, increment a value associated with the vocabulary word indicating a likelihood that the vocabulary word will appear in a question.

14. The computer program product of claim 11, further comprising:

program instructions that are stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices and that, when executed by a processor and in response to determining that the values associated with the plurality of vocabulary words equal a pre-determined value, indicate that the chapter is completed.

15. A computer system for teaching a vocabulary, the computer system comprising:

one or more processors and one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices;

program instructions that are stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices and that, when executed by at least one of the one or more processors, receive a user selection of a chapter from a plurality of chapters in a Chinese-English textbook, the chapter including a plurality of vocabulary words;

program instructions that are stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices and that, when executed by at least one of the one or more processors, receive a user selection of a language in which to display questions in a user interface, wherein the language in which to display the questions is one of English, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, and Pin Yin;

program instructions that are stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices and that, when executed by at least one of the one or more processors, receive a user selection of a language in which to receive answers to the questions in the user interface, wherein the language in which to receive the answers is another one of English, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, and Pin Yin, such that the language in which to display the questions and the language in which to receive the answers are different;

program instructions that are stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices and that, when executed by at least one of the one or more processors, determine a question, the question including a vocabulary word of the plurality of vocabulary words in the language in which to display the questions;

program instructions that are stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices and that, when executed by at least one of the one or more processors, receive an answer to the question in the language in which to receive the answers, the answer including a vocabulary word; and

program instructions that are stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices and that, when executed by at least one of the one or more processors, determine if the answer is a correct answer in response to receiving the answer.

16. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the vocabulary word in the question or the vocabulary word in the answer is in Simplified Chinese, and wherein the program instructions that determine if the answer is a correct answer comprise program instructions to translate the vocabulary word in the question or the vocabulary word in the answer into Traditional Chinese, and wherein the program instructions that translate comprise program instructions that access a Simplified Chinese/Traditional Chinese conversion table.

17. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the program instructions that determine if the answer is a correct answer comprise program instructions that determine that the vocabulary word in the question and the vocabulary word in the answer both match an entry in a Traditional Chinese/Pin Yin/English dictionary encoded in Unicode.

18. The computer system of claim 15, further comprising:

program instructions that are stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices and that, when executed by at least one of the one or more processors, associate, with each vocabulary word in the plurality of vocabulary words, a value indicating a likelihood that the vocabulary word associated with the value will appear in a question.

19. The computer system of claim 15, further comprising:

program instructions that are stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices and that, when executed by at least one of the one or more processors and in response to determining that the answer is a correct answer, decrement a value associated with the vocabulary word indicating a likelihood that the vocabulary word will appear in a question.

20. The computer system of claim 15, further comprising:

program instructions that are stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices and that, when executed by at least one of the one or more processors and in response to determining that the answer is an incorrect answer, increment a value associated with the vocabulary word indicating a likelihood that the vocabulary word will appear in a question.