Dialogue systems for language learning: chatbots and beyond

Abstract

Dialogue systems allow a user to interact, orally or in writing, with an automated interlocutor, whether it is referred to as a chatbot, a robot, a conversational agent or an intelligent personal assistant. We discuss the different typologies of dialogue-based computer-assisted language learning (CALL), the natural language processing (NLP) technology operating those systems, and the issues of their instructional design. We review the scientific findings on the cognitive, behavioral, and emotional effects of dialogue systems. Finally, we provide recommendations for the use of dialogue-based CALL in foreign language learning and teaching, as well as for the development of new conversational applications.

Serge Bibauw

Assistant Professor of French Language Teaching