on Mobile Assisted Language Learning（Mall）for English Study—a Case Study of Iphone Applications

I. Introduction 1.1 Definition of MALL Mobile assisted language learning (MALL) is a subarea of the growing field of mobile learning (mLearning) research (Olga Viberg, Åke Grönlund, 2012:1). For the emergence of mobile devices, Tayebeh and Ami used the following words to describe how people at that time thought about mobile devices. When, in 1973, the mobile devices were invented for the first time, no one ever thought some day they would become an important part of routine life. As soon as the mobile phones became a crucial part of our lives, there felt a need for using them in language learning tasks.

Mobile learning focuses on learning with mobile devices, such as smart phones, handheld computers, MP3 players, notebooks, tablets, personal digital assistants (PDAs) and pads. MALL, as a branch of m-learning, deals with the use of these devices in language learning. With the development of information technology and popularity of mobile devices, scholars began to find the relationship between language study and mobile devices(Baleghizadeh et al, 2011:3). 1.2 Definition of application An application is a kind of software designed to perform a particular function. In recent years, the term “application” has been used to exclusively refer to applications for mobile devices. In this paper, the application being discussed focuses on iPhone application for the following reasons. Firstly, compared with other cell phone application, iPhone application has won the largest number of downloading. Secondly, iPhone application has to be downloaded from App Store, the only official downloading resource of iPhone application. There, consumers are encouraged to give reviews and ratings for the application they have downloaded, which offers a good place to collect consumers’ reviews and make surveys. Thirdly, in App Store, there are various applications related to language learning. 1.3 Development of MALL The beginning of m-learning