Prismatext uses a technique popularized by Robbins Burling called the diglot weave technique.
This technique, which “weaves” (or “blends”) foreign words into sentences written in the learner’s native language, is ideal for learning a second language. It is best for new or intermediate learners and aids in the retention of individual words and short phrases.
Dr. Burling received his undergraduate degree from Yale University in 1950 and his Ph.D in Anthropology from Harvard University in 1958. In 1968, Robbins penned a paper entitled Some Outlandish Proposals For The Teaching Of Foreign Languages. In it, he outlined several new ways for learning a second language, one of which was the diglot weave technique used today by Prismatext.
Since 1968, many studies have been performed by academics into the efficacy of this technique. On every possible measure, the diglot weave technique consistently outperforms traditional “practice and drill” methods used in classrooms, text books, and flashcards.
- Some Outlandish Proposals For The Teaching Of Foreign Languages, by Robbins Burling (1968)
- Second language vocabulary acquisition using a diglot reader or a computer-based drill and practice program by Elizabeth Christensen, Paul Merrill and Stephen Yanchar (2007)
- The Effect of Teaching Vocabulary through the Diglot-Weave Technique and Attitude towards This Technique by Azadeh Nemati and Ensieh Maleki (2013)
- The Effect of Teaching Vocabulary through the Diglot-Weave Technique on Vocabulary Learning of Iranian High School Students by Azadeh Nematia and Ensieh Malekib (2014)
- Students’ Vocabulary Knowledge: Comparative Study Enhancing Between Semantic Mapping and Diglot Weave Techniques by Olivia Virocky Simanjuntak and Debora Chaterin Simanjuntak (2018)