Forvo
| Web address | forvo.com, pronuncionary.com |
|---|---|
| Commercial? | Yes[1] |
| Type of site | Linguistics |
| Registration | Optional, but required to download MP3s and to add pronunciations |
| Content license | Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike |
| Owner | Forvo Media SL |
| Launched | January 2008 |
Forvo.com is a website that allows access to, and playback of, pronunciation sound clips in many different languages in an attempt to facilitate the easier learning of languages. Forvo.com was first envisioned in 2007 by co-founder Israel Rondón,[2] and came to fruition in 2008. Forvo.com is owned by Forvo Media SL, who are based in San Sebastián, Spain and say Forvo is the largest pronunciation guide website on the Internet.[3] It has been listed in the 50 best websites of 2013 by Time.[4]
All sound clips on Forvo.com are created by the users, who also have the power to vote on each clip, positively or negatively, in an effort to ensure that the highest quality sound clips have priority in the site's listings. The pronunciations are also reviewed and edited by a volunteer team of editors.[5]
Forvo.com uses the proprietary Adobe Flash technology for recording the pronunciation sound clips.
Forvo has an API[6] to share its pronunciation with other websites.
Recommendations for adding words
Forvo just encourages adding simple words but there are some exceptions that can be clearly found in their recommendations and policy.[7]
References
- ↑ Forvo's About page says "Headed by Félix Vela ... I love working at a startup". That implies Forvo is a startup commercial company. Currently they appear to be making money off the iPhone app and website advertising. The site nowhere says it's non-profit, just that the content is CC-licensed.
- ↑ "Bombilla = Light bulb".
- ↑ "About Forvo". Retrieved 2010-09-26.
- ↑ "Time Best Websites of 2013".
- ↑ "pronunciation guide. Recent collaborators". Forvo. Retrieved 2012-03-13.
- ↑ "Forvo Pronunciation API, let´s show the world how to pronounce!". Api.forvo.com. Retrieved 2012-03-13.
- ↑ "Forvo rules".
External links
- Forvo Website
- Deusto Reviewer on Language Resources
- "Open Channel" – Malaysia Star
- "Forvo.com, para saber como se pronuncia una palabra" [Forvo.com, to know how to pronounce a word]. La Flecha (in Spanish). 23 Jun 2008. Retrieved 11 Aug 2012. Google Translate:
- "¿Cómo se dice…? Búscalo en Forvo.com" [How do you say…? Look it up in Forvo.com]. Baquía (in Spanish). 28 May 2008. Retrieved 11 Aug 2012. Google Translate:
- "¿Cómo se dice Gwyneth Paltrow?" [How do you say Gwyneth Paltrow?]. Público (in Spanish). 17 Apr 2012. Retrieved 11 Aug 2012. Google Translate:
- "¿Cómo se dice Eyjafjalla?" [How do you pronounce Eyjafjalla?]. Diario Vasco (in Spanish). 12 Nov 2010. Retrieved 11 Aug 2012. Google Translate:
- "Web: confira ferramentas gratuitas que ajudam a treinar inglês" [Web: Check out free tools that help train English]. Gazetaweb.com (in Portuguese). 21 Feb 2010. Retrieved 11 Aug 2012.