Dos alfabetos ao exame de proficiência: revisão sistemática de aplicativos para ensino e revisão da língua japonesa

Abstract

Japanese is a language with writing, vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation quite different from western languages, because it contains three alphabets (with two syllabic alphabets and the third one logographic), contains vocabulary, orthography and phonology built upon different nations and even has a grammar with many rules and forms, which may even differ according with the degree of formality between the listener and the speaker. Therefore, studying Japanese requires a lot of dedication and practice. To support the study of the language, more than 3100 applications are available in virtual stores with the intention of supporting students in learning and revising the Japanese alphabet, vocabulary, grammar and listening comprehension, as well as preparing for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT). However, little has been investigated about the contents, teaching and reviewing methodology and technological features of these applications. This research aims to systematically review applications focused on supporting Japanese language study, based on a proposed framework for qualitative and quantitative review of language learning software. An individual evaluation is executed for each part of the language, starting with the alphabet, proceeding with vocabulary, grammar and listening comprehension, in order to study the applications of each component of the Japanese language; and finishing with the analysis of applications geared towards JLPT preparation, since there are applications with content and presentation adjusted specifically for the exam. Research findings are presented and include details of the main features of applications in the current scenario, a classification and comparison of the most recommended applications for the Android and iOS mobile platforms, comparison between Android and iOS platform apps in relation to the support provided to the studies and a study of features that do not usually appear in current applications but are very important for helping study Japanese nonetheless.