I am a big of English movies. Whether it’s the latest Batman trilogy or the greats of Shawshank Redemption, I’ve always been their true admirer and am always in a quest to grab the latest DVDs of upcoming ones. But sometimes, I am unable to catch them; not due to their accent but due to indifferent dialogue delivery where they meaning goes on a different path from the words. The reason is quite clearly the difference in the native cultures which very often shows off.
American Slang is an android app that has been designed by Mohammad Amine Tazi for the non-Americans to help understand them the actual meaning of the spoken English in America. While some of you think it’s related to accent, then it is not the case. Every country bears a language based on some grammar rules. But as we know, the actual communication is quite different and that’s where you need this app; to understand the locals.
The app contains a no. of words arranged in a pattern as that of a dictionary. Each word has an associated actual meaning of the word with an example of how that word is used in America. For example, “He kicked the words out his mouth”. The word kick means ‘to hit’ actually but it is used as a synonym of ‘excellence’. Moreover, if you find any word useful which you want to share with your friends, you can directly email that word along with the meaning from the app itself or send it via Bluetooth. You can also share it on Facebook.
The user interface is as simple as it could be. The graphics are beautiful and the app is quite short and simple. Also, looking at the functionality of the app, I found some words which were new to me. Like I didn’t know they use it ‘za’ for pizza or use ‘armpit’ for ‘an undesirable place’, which was quite funny. While some others were familiar faces like ‘ace’ for ‘expert’. But there were a limited no. of words and though I don’t remember what the actual count of these words would be, one can easily say that they are not enough.
Overall, the app is effective up to a certain limit. The app is free but also has nothing much to boast about. There are many new words but the actual word count is low. Also, there is nothing about the accent. If you are designing an app to help understand the Americans, then one cannot afford to ignore it. Also, there could be an in built dictionary for its users to help understand them normal words along with these unusual ones.
Pros: very effective, new words, unique concept, intuitive user interface, short and simple.
Cons: limited no. of words, not much to offer, can’t be used to understand accent.
Apps400 Rating : * * * *
Download Link : Download the App Here
