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The Role of Chatbots in Foreign Language Learning: The Present Situation and the Future Outlook

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Artificial Intelligence: Theory and Applications

Part of the book series: Studies in Computational Intelligence ((SCI,volume 973))

Abstract

While crucial for all language learners, conversation practice can be very expensive and challenging to get enough of. Chatbots are computer programs developed to engage in conversations with humans. They are designed as software avatars with limited, but growing, conversational capability. The most natural and potentially powerful application of chatbots is related to their fundamental nature—language practice. However, their role and outcomes within (in)formal language learning are currently tangential at best. Existing research has generally focused on chatbots’ comprehensibility and the motivation they inspire in their users. In this paper, we provide an overview of chatbots for learning languages, critically analyze existing approaches, and discuss the major challenges for future research.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    There are 7,000 languages in use around the world—this is why they matter: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/02/how-some-endangered-languages-thrive (Retrieved on 28.12.2020).

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Singidunum University, Belgrade, Serbia

    Jasna Petrović & Mlađan Jovanović

Authors
  1. Jasna Petrović
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  2. Mlađan Jovanović
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Correspondence to Jasna Petrović .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Singidunum University, Belgrade, Serbia

    Endre Pap

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Petrović, J., Jovanović, M. (2021). The Role of Chatbots in Foreign Language Learning: The Present Situation and the Future Outlook. In: Pap, E. (eds) Artificial Intelligence: Theory and Applications. Studies in Computational Intelligence, vol 973. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-72711-6_17

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