1. A computer-based method comprising: presenting a plurality of grapheme-labeled regions on a computer-based touchscreen; receiving an indication that one or more of the grapheme-labeled regions has been touched by a pointing device; measuring an amount of time that the pointing device maintains contact with each one of the one or more grapheme-labeled regions that has been touched by the pointing device; producing, at an audio speaker, one or more phonemes, each phoneme based on a grapheme that appears on one of the respective grapheme-labeled regions that has been touched by the pointing device, wherein each grapheme presented represents a single phoneme; and setting an audible duration for a particular one of the phonemes produced at the audio speaker based on a measured amount of time that the pointing device maintains contact with a particular one of the grapheme-labeled regions.
5. The computer-based method of claim 1 further comprising: in response to the pointing device touching a grapheme-labeled region that corresponds to a phoneme with a pronunciation that is not sustainable: introducing a delay before producing the phoneme associated with the touched grapheme-labeled region, if pronunciation of the phoneme corresponding to the grapheme-labeled region cannot be extended; and extending pronunciation of a preceding phoneme, if the preceding pronunciation can be extended.