Dear Steve,
Thank you for creating such an excellent tool as Readlang. I use it regularly and am a big fan of its simplicity and effectiveness. I’d like to share an idea for a minor enhancement that could make the learning process even more efficient, especially for languages where noun genders are crucial, such as French, Spanish, or German.
My Suggestion:
Introduce color-coding for nouns based on their gender directly in the text.
- The Concept:
- Masculine nouns could be displayed in blue (e.g., le livre in French or el libro in Spanish).
- Feminine nouns could be displayed in red (la maison, la mesa).
- In German, neuter nouns could be displayed in green (das Haus).
- Benefits:
- Users wouldn’t need to memorize the article separately. The color would provide an immediate visual cue, making it easier to associate the gender with the noun over time.
- Visual cues like colors are psychologically very effective for memory retention.
- Practical Example:
Currently, the text is displayed uniformly in black on a light blue background. With this enhancement, the text could appear as follows:
- Blue: livre, livro
- Red: maison, casa
- Green: Haus, Kind
- Impact on User Experience:
- Colors are universal and intuitive, helping users navigate the text more easily while simultaneously enhancing their understanding of linguistic structure.
- This feature could be optional, allowing users who prefer the current appearance to keep it unchanged.
Why Colors?
Using colors naturally supports memory retention through visual associations. From childhood, many of us associate blue with masculine gender and red with feminine gender. This concept could offer users a new way to effectively internalize information.
Thank you for considering this suggestion. I believe that with this feature, Readlang could become even more appealing and useful to a broader audience.
Best regards,
Petr Duchoň, Czech Republic