Estonian Orthography Wizard Debuts on Smartphones

University of Tartu researchers Martin Ehala and Peeter Tinits have come up with Sõnar, a new spelling and grammar application for mobile phones.

Sõnar, which is derived from sõna, the Estonian for "word", is like an online style guide or grammar manual but operates a little differently. It is structured based on the particular orthographic problem facing the user.

University of Tartu Estonian didactics professor Martin Ehala says he hopes Sõnar will become just as ubiquitous in the teaching of Estonian as a pocket calculator is to math.

The application uses a diagnostic tool similar to online troubleshooting utilities, narrowing down the possibilities by asking the user questions. It also avoids obscure grammatical terms in favor of ordinary language.

Sõnar is available for iPhone and Android platforms (http://market.android.com) with Symbian and Java versions on the way. Download Sõnar in Apple app store (http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id424925148?mt=8&ls=1) - free of charge until 18th of March.

Additional information: prof Martin Ehala, phone +372 52 49 269, martin [dot] ehala [ät] ut [dot] ee

Anneli Miljan
University of Tartu Press Officer
telephone +372 737 5683
mobile phone +372 515 0184
e-mail anneli [dot] miljan [ät] ut [dot] ee
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