By Charlotte Brookins 

An app created by Jerry Moon, professor emeritus in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD), has reached beyond its intended audience of CSD students and has been used by English as a second language learners across the world. 

Sounds of Speech—which provides a comprehensive understanding of how English speech sounds are formed—has been downloaded in at least 64 different countries. The app includes animations, videos, and audio showcasing essential features of consonants and vowels. 

“Almost all sounds in English are produced out of sight—that is, inside the mouth,” explains Moon. “This complicates the task of teaching and learning how to produce those sounds. The idea behind Sounds of Speech was that, for each sound, users could view animations and video clips and listen to audio clips designed to highlight the essential features associated with that sound.” 

But the Sounds of Speech app started out very differently from the world-renowned program it is today. 

In 2001, Sounds of Speech was launched as a website visually showcasing how different sounds in the English language are produced. The website, which was initially created for the benefit of future speech-language pathologists in the University of Iowa’s CSD program, was then developed into a mobile app in 2013.  

To create the original website, Moon partnered with Carlos Eduardo-Piñeros, who at the time was a faculty member of the Spanish and Portuguese department. The website started with both English and Spanish options, with German added later. The two of them received a $5,000 Instructional Improvement Award from the university to start, with Moon eventually getting an additional $6,450 in 2013 to transition the English part of Sounds of Speech into an app, while Spanish and German remained on the website. 

Three years later, in 2016, the app’s popularity inspired creating interfaces for Spanish, Korean, and Chinese, as well as a new feature. 

“We also added a tool that allows users to type in a word that the app transcribes phonetically,” Moon adds. “The user can then explore the production of each sound in that word.” 

Moon says he is grateful for the support he has received from the university for Sounds of Speech. He partnered with Iowa’s Information and Technology Services and the Office of Teaching, Learning, and Technology to create the app. 

“While at the University of Iowa, I was very fortunate to work with an amazing group of individuals who provided the technical support and expertise to take an idea imagined by faculty and turn it into a teaching resource that enhances the educational experience,” says Moon. “Although I have retired, my interactions with the Office of Teaching, Learning, and Technology continue as we explore ways to maintain and improve the app.” 

To learn more about Sounds of Speech and try it out for yourself, check out the official website.