Categorization Information Systems

Finally information systems are programs, which usually consist of a large database about a language, e.g. lexical databases or electronic dictionaries/grammars. Here no processing of the input takes place except for e.g. some orthographic checking if the word entered is not in the database. The usage in a classroom setting is therefore restricted to certain tasks as the programs cannot be adapted in a certain sense. Examples are the LEO Dictionary and maybe Glosser. The LEO Dictionary is at the base a German-English electronic dictionary interlinked with various other lexical databases. For example entries are crosslinked with the online Merriam Webster Dictionary and a inflection module producing the different word forms of a certain stem. Glosser presents texts with clickable words. When clicked different frames in a webbrowser show various information about the word such as morphological structure, translation and an example from another corpus.

Another online information system ist the Chemnitz Internet Grammar, which is a clickable grammar for English. Here the learner has to know what he is looking for. It is not for learning but rather for providing information on the structure of English.

The online version of the Merriam Webster Dictionary is one of the few larger dictionary freely available on the WWW. The dictionary does not only provide information about the meaning of a word but also th other usual lexical information such as sound and grammar patterns.

In distinguishing tools from information systems one could say, that tools require some sort of effort from the learner or the teacher and the information received has to be interpreted. In an information system this has already been done and usually new data cannot be added.