Mat Bettinson
University of Melbourne, School of languages and linguistics, Graduate Student
- Australian interdisciplinary researcher applying bleeding edge technology to the urgent problem of documenting endangered linguistic and cultural treasures.edit
The oral transmission of recipes provides a rich context for collection of procedural discourse. In the diaspora, cuisine may be maintained longer than language, and the transmission of recipes to another generation offers an occasion for... more
The oral transmission of recipes provides a rich context for collection of procedural discourse. In the diaspora, cuisine may be maintained longer than language, and the transmission of recipes to another generation offers an occasion for reconnection with older speakers. While it is easy to video the preparation of a dish, the resulting video is harder to navigate and harder to translate, compared with the approach we have developed. We have developed a kind of digital storytelling app(1) Zahwa which captures a recipe as a sequence of still images aligned to an audio narrative. The user photographs ingredients and utensils, then photographs each stage of preparation. The images are opened inside the app, and user presses a record button and explains the recipe, swiping to advance to the next image. Finger gestures are captured, so that reference to items within an image are unambiguous. During playback of a recipe, a user hears the audio and watches a slideshow of the images, and s...
We present here the first deployment of a semi automatic and collaborative transcription pipeline in two remote communities in the Australian Northern Territory. This first attempt reports the challenges involved with collaborative... more
We present here the first deployment of a semi automatic and collaborative transcription pipeline in two remote communities in the Australian Northern Territory. This first attempt reports the challenges involved with collaborative transcription methods design in remote Australian Aboriginal communitie
Research Interests:
Linguistic research with speakers of Aboriginal languages usually takes place though face-to-face interaction. The success of these interactions depends on relationships between scholars and Aboriginal people, relationships which are... more
Linguistic research with speakers of Aboriginal languages usually takes place though face-to-face interaction. The success of these interactions depends on relationships between scholars and Aboriginal people, relationships which are built up over an extended period. During the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers have often been prevented from travelling to remote Aboriginal communities, making it difficult to sustain these relationships and continue the collaboration. We describe an appliance design for supporting consultations between outside scholars and remote community members. Requests are framed as personal invitations via a asynchronous video messaging and delivered to the remote participant via "Lingobox", a portable appliance akin to a multimedia answering machine. The device is being used with speakers of the Kunwinjku language in an extremely remote region of northern Australia. CCS CONCEPTS • Human-centered computing → Empirical studies in interaction design.
Research Interests:
Linguistic research with speakers of Aboriginal languages usually takes place though face-to-face interaction. The success of these interactions depends on relationships between scholars and Aboriginal people, relationships which are... more
Linguistic research with speakers of Aboriginal languages usually takes place though face-to-face interaction. The success of these interactions depends on relationships between scholars and Aboriginal people, relationships which are built up over an extended period. During the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers have often been prevented from travelling to remote Aboriginal communities, making it difficult to sustain these relationships and continue the collaboration. We describe an appliance design for supporting consultations between outside scholars and remote community members. Requests are framed as personal invitations via a asynchronous video messaging and delivered to the remote participant via "Lingobox", a portable appliance akin to a multimedia answering machine. The device is being used with speakers of the Kunwinjku language in an extremely remote region of northern Australia. CCS CONCEPTS • Human-centered computing → Empirical studies in interaction design.
Research Interests:
This research examines the use of newly-developed software applications such as e-dictionaries, digital flash cards, and digital character writing programs in the L2 Chinese language classroom in higher education. The acquisition of... more
This research examines the use of newly-developed software applications such as e-dictionaries, digital flash cards, and digital character writing programs in the L2 Chinese language classroom in higher education. The acquisition of literacy in a character-based language such as Chinese can be difficult and time-consuming for the Second Language Learner. The objective is to investigate the extent to which these digital tools can reduce learner frustration, stimulate student motivation, and thus enhance student learning. This study reports on the introduction of a character-learning software application to provide spaced repetition learning at beginner level Chinese in a Western university. A student questionnaire, focus group and data analytics were used to assess take-up, frequency of use, and Chinese character acquisition. It was found that digital tools for Chinese character learning have the potential to enhance student engagement with their learning and allow for a broader range of strategies in the learning of Chinese character script. Challenges remain in adapting digital learning based on space repetition to the typical classroom schedule.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Language documentation theory has provided critical insights into the nature of a lasting, multipurpose record of a language (Himmelmann 1998, 2012). Much of the literature has focused on the desirable properties of a comprehensive ‘best... more
Language documentation theory has provided critical insights into the nature of a lasting, multipurpose record of a language (Himmelmann 1998, 2012). Much of the literature has focused on the desirable properties of a comprehensive ‘best record’ of language (Woodbury, 2003). Language documentation leans heavily upon traditional linguistic fieldwork methods such as elicitation and detailed transcription performed in the field. These activities are dependent on highly trained linguists as facilitators for every documentary event. The resulting lack of ‘scalability’ in these methods threatens our ability to meet even modest documentary goals (Liberman, 2006). Responding to productivity concerns, Reiman (2010) introduced Basic Oral Language Documentation. The BOLD method utilises phrase-aligned ‘oral transcriptions’ with the aim of deferring transcription until after fieldwork. BOLD may be enacted by participants with limited training thereby side stepping a major impediment to scaling ...
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This study investigates the impact of the introduction of hypertext utilizing electronic dictionaries in a Chinese as a Second Language program for intermediate level students at a Western university. It seeks to build on earlier... more
This study investigates the impact of the introduction of hypertext utilizing electronic dictionaries in a Chinese as a Second Language program for intermediate level students at a Western university. It seeks to build on earlier frameworks concerning the impact of electronic glosses and dictionaries in promoting greater learner autonomy in intermediate L2 programs. During two project trials, questionnaires and focus groups were employed to solicit information about the students’ take-up of the new technology, their preferred learning styles, and their perceptions of the value of the e-learning tools and materials. The survey results indicate a relatively high level of take-up of the new technologies. Learners had a positive perception of the usefulness of these tools in assisting with class preparation, in promoting easier and more rapid reading, and in reducing learner fatigue. While learners found the use of electronic dictionaries to be beneficial for exploratory reading, there ...
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The mobile phone ‘app’ has been suggested to offer ‘revolutionary’ potential for crowdsourcing linguistic data (Birch et al., 2013). Some genres such as collaborative dictionary apps have been widely adopted. However, the reality is that... more
The mobile phone ‘app’ has been suggested to offer ‘revolutionary’ potential for crowdsourcing linguistic data (Birch et al., 2013). Some genres such as collaborative dictionary apps have been widely adopted. However, the reality is that despite the proliferation of general mobile apps, mobile software development is challenging and there is much to yet to learn (Wasserman, 2010). Fortunately, web technologies have recently emerged as a viable ‘native’ mobile app development, with a range of benefits including developing for one universal platform. The great potential for mobile software is precisely that it is used by laypersons but this demands a focus on usability, user interface and workflows. We will need simple, usable software in line with common expectations. There is also increasingly realisation of the need to invest in new collaborative software (Thieberger, 2016). We argue that linguists can and should help by using their knowledge of workflows and user expectations to p...
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We describe a reusable Web component for capturing talk about images. A speaker is prompted with a series of images and talks about each one while adding gestures. Others can watch the audiovisual slideshow, and navigate forwards and... more
We describe a reusable Web component for capturing talk about images. A speaker is prompted with a series of images and talks about each one while adding gestures. Others can watch the audiovisual slideshow, and navigate forwards and backwards by swiping on the images. The component supports phrase-aligned respeaking, translation, and commentary. This work extends the method of Basic Oral Language Documentation by prompting speakers with images and capturing their gestures. We show how the component is deployed in a mobile app for collecting and sharing know-how which was developed in consultation with indigenous groups in Taiwan and Australia. We focus on food preparation practices since this is an area where people are motivated to preserve and disseminate their cultural and linguistic heritage.
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Mobile web technologies offer new prospects for developing an integrated suite of language documentation software. Much of this software will operate on devices owned by speakers of endangered languages. We report on a series of prototype... more
Mobile web technologies offer new prospects for developing an integrated suite of language documentation software. Much of this software will operate on devices owned by speakers of endangered languages. We report on a series of prototype applications that support a range of documentary activities. We present ongoing work to design an architecture that involves reusable components that share a common storage model and application programming interface. We believe this approach will open the way for a suite of mobile apps, each having a specific purpose and audience, and each enhancing the quality and quantity of documentary products in different ways.
Research Interests:
This study investigates the impact of the introduction of hypertext utilizing electronic dictionaries in a Chinese as a Second Language program for intermediate level students at a Western university. It seeks to build on earlier... more
This study investigates the impact of the introduction of hypertext utilizing electronic dictionaries in a Chinese as a Second Language program for intermediate level students at a Western university. It seeks to build on earlier frameworks concerning the impact of electronic glosses and dictionaries in promoting greater learner autonomy in intermediate L2 programs. While learners found the use of electronic dictionaries to be beneficial for exploratory reading, there was also a preference for curated glossaries to complement their learning. Ongoing training and
assistance were necessary to avoid a ‘digital divide’ in the take-up of e-technologies.
assistance were necessary to avoid a ‘digital divide’ in the take-up of e-technologies.
Research Interests:
This research examines the use of newly-developed software applications such as e-dictionaries, digital flash cards, and digital character writing programs in the L2 Chinese language classroom in higher education. The objective is to... more
This research examines the use of newly-developed software applications such as e-dictionaries, digital flash cards, and digital character writing programs in the L2 Chinese language classroom in higher education. The objective is to investigate the extent to which these digital tools can reduce learner frustration, stimulate student motivation, and thus enhance student learning. It was found that digital tools for Chinese character learning have the potential to enhance student engagement with their learning and allow for a broader range of strategies in the learning of Chinese character script.
Research Interests:
Potentially, effective social media use has a valuable role to play in addressing a number of concerns for newly arrived international students including feelings of isolation, access to information and participation in community. The aim... more
Potentially, effective social media use has a valuable role to play in addressing a number of concerns for newly arrived international students including feelings of isolation, access to information and participation in community. The aim of this paper is to report on a project to develop social media training resources for AusAID students from developing countries. The project was delivered as part of a six-week, 100-hour introductory academic preparation program. Using an action research approach, we conducted three stages of materials production, data gathering and self-reflection. In our overall analysis of the project, we identified resistance to participation, information overload and technological impediments as central barriers to full integration of social media training. We conclude with suggestions for improvement and research in the development and integration of social media training resources.
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We report on a series of prototype applications that support a range of documentary activities. We present ongoing work to design an architecture that involves reusable components that share a common storage model and application... more
We report on a series of prototype
applications that support a range
of documentary activities. We present
ongoing work to design an architecture
that involves reusable components that
share a common storage model and
application programming interface. We
believe this approach will open the way
for a suite of mobile apps, each having a
specific purpose and audience, and each
enhancing the quality and quantity of
documentary products in different ways.
applications that support a range
of documentary activities. We present
ongoing work to design an architecture
that involves reusable components that
share a common storage model and
application programming interface. We
believe this approach will open the way
for a suite of mobile apps, each having a
specific purpose and audience, and each
enhancing the quality and quantity of
documentary products in different ways.
Research Interests:
Mobile and web technologies have advanced to the degree that we must re-evaluate their capabilities. We present two new software tools, Aikuma-NG and Aikuma-Link, to illustrate emerging capabilities and the need for a new model of... more
Mobile and web technologies have advanced to the degree that we must re-evaluate their capabilities. We present two new software tools, Aikuma-NG and Aikuma-Link, to illustrate emerging capabilities and the need for a new model of participatory design for the next generation of collaborative digital tools.
Research Interests:
Crowdsourcing offers the potential to scale documentary activity beyond the confines of 'expert' linguistic resources. In this talk I argue that Web 2.0-like evolution in language documentation is necessary and even inevitable. I argue... more
Crowdsourcing offers the potential to scale documentary activity beyond the confines of 'expert' linguistic resources. In this talk I argue that Web 2.0-like evolution in language documentation is necessary and even inevitable. I argue for the need to re-evaluate a number of key assumptions with deep ramifications for the design of future tools and methods.
Research Interests:
Careful respeaking is a commonly used linguistic field method to produce 'clear speech' recordings which are assumed to be easier to transcribe. This paper reports on an experiment to evaluate whether such a benefit can be observed and... more
Careful respeaking is a commonly used linguistic field method to produce 'clear speech' recordings which are assumed to be easier to transcribe. This paper reports on an experiment to evaluate whether such a benefit can be observed and quantified. Additionally whether any observed benefit can be attributed to the clear speech effect and the regeneration effect of making a lower noise recording. This is a preliminary presentation of the honours thesis of the same title.
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Of the six to seven thousand languages spoken in the world today, three quarters of them are expected to vanish by the turn of the century. Far from being a mere conduit of communication, language embodies cultural knowledge and unique... more
Of the six to seven thousand languages spoken in the world today, three quarters of them are expected to vanish by the turn of the century. Far from being a mere conduit of communication, language embodies cultural knowledge and unique ways of viewing the world. As such we may be presiding over one of the greatest periods of cultural loss in human history, at the same time when that recording images and sound has never been easier to do. With the best intentions, linguistic academe isn't conducting enough basic language documentation to address the frightening pace of language loss. One key reason is that traditional linguistic fieldwork practice involves painstaking one-on-one elicitation with another endangered species, the field linguist.
Yet some modern trends challenge us to rethink traditional methods. By utilising cheap commodity smartphone hardware and specially crafted software, we can to some extent automate the activity of recording stories and dialog with translations into ‘metropolitan’ languages. By doing so we aim to remove the major bottleneck to language documentation productivity by allowing endangered language communities to document and share their own stories. So far we have conducted trials in diverse locations such as remote rainforests of Brazil, the spectacularly diverse valleys of Papua New Guinea and the mountains of Nepal. This talk discusses our goals for the project and highlights the daunting array of challenges we face in reorienting the tools and methods of the endangered language activism movement.
Yet some modern trends challenge us to rethink traditional methods. By utilising cheap commodity smartphone hardware and specially crafted software, we can to some extent automate the activity of recording stories and dialog with translations into ‘metropolitan’ languages. By doing so we aim to remove the major bottleneck to language documentation productivity by allowing endangered language communities to document and share their own stories. So far we have conducted trials in diverse locations such as remote rainforests of Brazil, the spectacularly diverse valleys of Papua New Guinea and the mountains of Nepal. This talk discusses our goals for the project and highlights the daunting array of challenges we face in reorienting the tools and methods of the endangered language activism movement.