DIALANG 2.0

DIALANG was a freely available language diagnosis system. It was developed by a consortium of European higher education institutions with support from the European Commission’s Socrates programme (1996-2004), and then hosted and maintained on a “pro bono” basis by Lancaster University (UK) until 2024. DIALANG tested reading, writing, listening, grammar and vocabulary in 14 languages: Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Icelandic, Irish-gaelic, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish and Swedish. It reported levels of skill against the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) for language learning. Over its lifetime, several million DIALANG test sessions were recorded. As a legacy system without funding, DIALANG is unfortunately no longer available due to technological incompatibilities with present-day technical requirements.

DIALANG was informed by and has inspired further research on diagnosis in second or foreign language assessment, including:

• Alderson, J.C. (2006). Diagnosing foreign language proficiency: The interface between learning and assessment. London/NY: Continuum.
• Alderson, J. C., Brunfaut, T., & Harding, L. (2015). Towards a theory of diagnosis in second and foreign language assessment: insights from professional practice across diverse fields. Applied Linguistics, 36(2), 236-260. [winner of the ILTA Best Article Award]
• Alderson, J.C., Haapakangas, E-L., Huhta, A., Nieminen, L., & Ullakonoja, R. (2015). The diagnosis of reading in a second or foreign language. NY/London: Routledge.
• Alderson, J.C., & Huhta, A. (2005). The Development of a Suite of Computer-Based Diagnostic Tests Based on the Common European Framework. Language Testing, 22(3), 301-320.
• Harding, L., Alderson, C., & Brunfaut, T. (2015). Diagnostic assessment of reading and listening in a second or foreign language: elaborating on diagnostic principles. Language Testing, 32(3), 317-336.

Twenty years after the start of the original DIALANG project, we are now exploring further developments in diagnostic language assessment through the project DIALANG 2.0. Key partners are Emeritus Professor Charles J. Alderson, Prof Tineke Brunfaut, Prof Luke Harding, Adrian Fish (all Lancaster University, UK), and Professor Ari Huhta (University of Jyväskylä, Finland).