ABSTRACT
Section III presents systems that seek to integrate language with the physical, visual world that is its context. That world is represented mainly by computer graphics and digitized sound. Some of the systems presented earlier, like Herr Kommissar (Section I) and BRIDGE (Section II), use still graphics as generic backdrops or as specific question prompts. But these graphics do not react to what students say, do not depict the realistic consequences of language use. The systems in Section III, by contrast, employ microworlds in which animated objects respond to requests, descriptions, or actions by the student-responses enabled by NLP analysis and other artificial intelligence (AI) mechanisms. These systems typify the immersion approach to language learning. They are shaped by theories of language learning that stress engagement in motivating, authentic communicative activity (see Oxford, this volume). They capitalize on the trend in instructional technology away from directed tutors and toward reactive and exploratory learning environments (Lawler & Yazdani, 1988).
