Showing papers on "Written language published in 1991"

Language Teaching Methodology: A Textbook for Teachers

Abstract: Part 1 An empirical approach to language teaching methodology: defining "methodology" research into language processing and production the context and environment of learning classrooms in action exploring language classrooms how to use this book. Part 2 Listening: bottom-up and top-down views of listening identifying different types of listening textual connectivity listening purpose what makes listening difficult? listening texts and tasks investigating listening comprehension. Part 3 Speaking in a second language: identifying different types of speaking predictability and unpredictability the concept of "genre" the difficulty of speaking tasks classroom interaction stimulating oral interaction in the classroom investigating speaking and oral interaction. Part 4 Reading - discourse perspective: bottom-up and top-down views on reading scheme theory and reading research into reading in a second language reading and social context types of reading text the reading lesson investigating reading comprehension. Part 5 Developing writing skills: differences between spoken and written language writing as process and writing as product the generic structure of texts differences between skilled and unskilled writers writing classrooms and materials investigating writing development. Part 6 Mastering the sounds of the language: a contrastive approach to pronunciation recent theory and research pronunciation in practice investigating pronunciation. Part 7 Vocabulary: the status of vacabulary in the curriculum word lists and frequency counts vocabulary and context vocabulary development and second language acquisition semantic networks and features memory and vocabulary development investigating the teaching and learning of vocabulary. Part 8 Focus on form - the role of grammar: the "traditional" language classroom second language acquisition research and its influence on practice grammatical consciousness-raising pedagogic materials and techniques for teaching grammar investigating the teaching and learning of grammar. Part 9 Focus on the learner - learning styles and strategies: research into learning styles and strategies the "good" language learner a learner-centred approach to language teaching learning strategies in the classroom investigating learning strategy preferences. Part 10 Focus on the teacher - classroom management and interaction: amount and type of teacher talk teacher questions feedback on learner performance classroom management in action investigating teacher talk. Part 11 Materials development commercial materials research on materials in use materials and methods materials design materials adaptation investigating materials. Part 12 Language teaching methods - a critical analysis: the psychological tradition the humanistic tradition the second language acquisition tradition investigating methods.

Discourse Analysis for Language Teachers

Abstract: Discourse Analysis for Language Teaching gives a practical introduction to the field of discourse analysis and its relevance for language teaching. It begins by answering the question 'What is discourse analysis?' and examines how discourse analysts approach spoken and written language. Different models of analysis are outlined and evaluated in terms of their usefulness to language teachers. This is followed by chapters on discourse-oriented approaches to grammar, vocabulary and phonology. The final section looks at spoken and written language in the light of native-speaker and learner data and considers examples of teaching approaches. Discourse Analysis for Language Teaching has a very practical orientation, and the text is interspersed with reader activities with guidance on appropriate responses at the end.

An Experiment in the Relationship of Types of Written Feedback to the Development of Second‐Language Writing Skills

Abstract: (L2) students' writing is of perennial concern to L2 teachers, as is the question of whether students should be required to produce any sustained writing at all (that is, beyond sentencelevel) in the target language before their oral skills are fully developed (58). Many L2 teachers fear the "fossilization" of errors (49; 59), and feel morally obligated to correct all mistakes in L2 student written work. Tradi-

Interactive Written Discourse as an Emergent Register

Abstract: Text transmitted electronically through computer-mediated communication networks is an increasingly available yet little documented form of written communication. This article examines the syntactic and stylistic features of an emergent phenomenon called Interactive Written Discourse (IWD) and finds that the concept of “register,” a language variety according to use, helps account for the syntactic reductions and omissions that characterize this historical juxtaposition of text format with real-time and interactive pressures. Similarities with another written register showing surface brevity, the note taking register, are explored. The study is an empirical examination of written communication from a single discourse community, on a single topic, with a single recipient, involving 23 experienced computer users making travel plans with the same travel advisor by exchanging messages through linked computers. The study shows rates of omissions of subject pronouns, copulas, and articles and suggests that IWD ...

Psycholinguistic Implications for Linguistic Relativity: A Case Study of Chinese

Abstract: Contents: Introduction. Aspects of the Chinese Language. Perceptual Aspects of the Chinese Language. Memory Aspects of the Chinese Language. Neurolinguistic Aspects of the Chinese Language. Conclusion.

With Literacy and Justice for All: Rethinking the Social in Language and Education

Abstract: Introduction: What's a progressive book like you doing in a post-modern world like this? Part 1 Not acquiring Spanish as a second language - the politics of second language acquisition: writing in a bi-lingual programme - it all depends contextual complexities - written language policies for bilingual programmes the effect of "theory" on several versions of a popular theory - "plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose". Part 2 Literacy - some purposeful distinctions: whole language - what's new? hookin' 'em in at the start of school in a whole language classroom risks and possibilities of whole language literacy - alienation and connection resisting (professional) arrest whole language - making it a whole lot better.

Writing and Writing Instruction for Students with Learning Disabilities: Review of a Research Program:

Abstract: This article reviews our research program in written language, including examinations of what and how students with LD write. The evidence indicates that these students' writing difficulties stem, in part, from problems with basic text production skills, scant knowledge about writing, and difficulties with planning and revising text. In other studies, we have evaluated the effectiveness of instructional procedures for addressing one or more of these difficulties, including strategy instruction, procedural facilitation, word processing, basic skills instruction, and the process approach to writing. Our research in each of these areas is reviewed and recommendations for future research are provided.

Integrating formal and functional approaches to language teaching in French immersion : An experimental study

Abstract: This experimental study was designed to evaluate the effect on French language proficiency of an integrated formal, analytic and functional, communicative approach (experiential) to second-language teaching in the immersion classroom. The impetus for the study arises from previous research indicating that immersion children show persistent weaknesses in their grammatical skills despite the fluent, functional proficiency they achieve in their second language. The experimental materials, which were custom-designed for our study, highlight form-function relations, promote noticing, encourage metalin-guistic awareness, and provide opportunities for language practice and thus relate to some of the theoretical issues that Rod Ellis (this volume) has indicated are important in SLA in the 90s. This classroom-based study on the conditional is one of a series of studies undertaken in Canadian French immersion to investigate the effectiveness of form-focused instruction in classrooms (see Swain, 2000). The results of our study, which was conducted in grade 7 early immersion, showed that the Experimental group performed significantly higher in writing than the Control group, in both the post- and the follow-up testing. Although this was not found for speaking, an examination of the individual class data revealed greater and more consistent growth in speaking for the Experimental than for the Control classes, suggesting that they benefited somewhat from the experi- mental treatment in this domain as well. Although Ellis (this volume) notes that research on form-focused instruc- tion in the 90s has tended to split pedagogy from theory, the immersion research in this area does not seem t o reflect this shift. In a recent article, Swain (2000) reviews the French Immersion (FI) studies and summarizes their re- sults as follows: “Overall, the set of experiments conducted in FI classes suggest that there is value in focusing on language form through the use of pre-planned curriculum materials in the context of content-based language learn- ing” (Swain, 2000, p. 205). Her reference to curriculum materials and to the specific context of content-based lan- guage learning should signal to the reader the orientation t o pedagogical considerations that characterize this research. As Ellis notes, hybrid research using both experimental and qualitative methods is becoming more common in SLA. Recently, the experimental materials in our study were implemented in a grade 8 immersion classroom, and the children's collaborative language activity was observed by a researcher working from a sociocultural theoretical per- spective (Spielman-Davidson, 2000). The uptake of our research by a researcher working in another paradigm introduces another kind of hybridity that we hope will also shed further light on questions in form-focused instruction and lead to appropriate changes in pedagogy and in the design of immersion curricula.

Language Disorders: A Functional Approach to Assessment and Intervention

Abstract: All chapters end with "Conclusion." Preface. I. INTRODUCTION. 1. A Functional Language Approach. Role of Pragmatics in Intervention. Role of Generalization in Intervention. 2. Language Impairments. Diagnostic Categories. II. COMMUNICATION ASSESSMENT. 3. Assessment of Children with Language Impairment. Psychometric versus Descriptive Procedures. Psychometric Assessment Protocols. Descriptive Approaches. An Integrated Functional Assessment Strategy. Presymbolic and Minimally Symbolic Children. 4. Assessment of Children with Language Difference. State of Service Delivery. An Integrated Model for Assessment. 5. Language Sampling. Planning and Collecting a Representative Sample. Recording the Sample. Transcribing the Sample. Collecting Samples of Written Language. 6. Analysis Across Utterances and Partners and by Communication Event. Across Utterances and Partners. Communication Event. Conversational Partner. 7. Analyzing a Language Sample at the Utterance Level. Language Use. Content. Form. Presymbolic and Minimally Symbolic Children. 8. Narrative Analysis. Development of Narratives. Collecting Narratives. Narrative Analysis. CLD Children. III. INTERVENTION. 9. A Functional Intervention Model. Principles. Generalization Variables. 10. Manipulating Context. Nonlinguistic Contexts. Linguistic Contexts. 11. Specific Intervention Techniques. Pragmatics. Semantics. Syntax and Morphology. CLD Children. Use of Microcomputers. Presymbolic and Minimally Symbolic Children. 12. Classroom Functional Intervention. Background and Rationale: Recent Educational Trends. Role of the Speech-Language Pathologist. Elements of a Classroom Model. Instituting a Classroom Model. 13. Literacy Impairments: Language in a Visual Mode. Reading. Writing. APPENDICES. A. Definitions of Illocutionary and Semantic Functions. B. Considerations for CLD Children. C. Forms for Reporting the Language Skills of CLD Children. D. Language Analysis Methods. E. Selected English Morphological Prefixes and Suffixes. F. Indirect Elicitation Techniques. G. Intervention Activities and Language Targets. H. Analyzing Classroom Communication Breakdown. I. Use of Children's Literature in Preschool Classrooms. J. Thematic Unit on Listening. Glossary. References. Author Index. Subject Index.

Developmental Reading Disorders

Abstract: Reading is perhaps the most valued and almost certainly the most highly practised scholastic skill. Because of this, it is sometimes easy to overlook the complexity of the reading process and, in particular, the problems it presents to the novice. Many children are introduced to written language before they start school and, shortly after, formal learning begins. For the purpose of this review, it is important to discuss the various stages which are involved in learning to read and elucidate the component subskills required for satisfactory progress, in order to provide a framework for the understanding of children's reading difficulties

Low-Ses Children's Success and Failure at Early Literacy Learning in Skills-Based Classrooms

Abstract: This study examined low-SES, urban children's ways of interpreting traditional skills-based literacy instruction in kindergarten and first grade. Thirty-five randomly selected children from three inner-city schools were tested for entering and end-of-first-grade knowledge of six domains of written language. Their scores on two standardized achievement tests were also collected. Twelve children were randomly selected from this sample for close observation over 2 years in their classrooms. Qualitative and quantitative analyses revealed four patterns of success/ nonsuccess in literacy development within the classroom context: (a) the Independent Explorer children who began kindergarten with the big picture of written language and successfully interpreted the skills-based instruction while engaging in numerous self-directed explorations of print, (b) the Curriculum Dependent children who did not have a big picture of written language from the start and exhibited major mismatches between their understandings and those required by the curriculum, (c) the Passive Nonweavers who failed to actively construct relationships between the many skill activities required of them, and (d) the Deferring Learners who moved from a knowledgeable active stance to a passive one after confronting mismatches between their knowledge of print and the curriculum.

Identifying Native Language Difficulties Among Foreign Language Learners in College: A "Foreign" Language Learning Disability?

Abstract: The present study compared successful and unsuccessful college foreign language learners on measures of intelligence, foreign language aptitude, native oral and written language, and math. Unsuccessful students had received petitions to waive the foreign language requirement. No significant differences between groups were found on intelligence and reading comprehension. Significant differences were found on the Modern Language Aptitude Test, on tests of written and oral language in the syntactic and phonological domains, and on math calculation. Authors suggest that students with foreign language learning difficulties may have underlying native language problems manifested especially in the areas of syntax and phonology. Suggestions for diagnosing a foreign language disability are made.

Computer Talk: Long-Distance Conversations by Computer

Abstract: In the light of previous studies of features of spoken and written language, this study examined the opening months of an informal computer conversation among novice computer users who had not previously known each other. To establish the sequence of conversational utterances in the absence of physical and temporal proximity, participants used personal names and lexical referents. Linguistic features often found in oral conversation—indicators of personal involvement, disfluencies, and representations of paralinguistic elements—occurred frequently in this corpus. The graphic representation of normally oral language features may account in part for the participants' sense of intimacy and community with one another.

Writing in the community

Abstract: The Social Nature of Writing - David Barton Because This is Who We Are - Andrea R Fishman Writing in the Amish Community Bilingual Written Language Use by Low-Education Latin American Newcomers - Cecil Klassen Roles, Networks and Values in Everyday Writing - David Barton and Sarah Padmore Self, Education and Writing in Nineteenth Century English Communities - Ursula Howard Community Publishing as Self-Education - Gerry Gregory The Schooling of Literacy - Joanna C Street and Brian V Street Learning to Write as an Adult - Sue Gardener Bringing Community Writing Practices into Education - Roz Ivanic and Wendy Moss

Scribes, Scripts and Readers: Studies in the Communication, Presentation and Dissemination of Medieval Texts

Abstract: The study of writing and reading in the middle ages is not only of direct importance to the understanding of its culture but also fascinating in its own right. Scribes, Scripts and Readers brings together fifteen essays by M.B. Parkes, the author of English Cursive Book Hands, 1250-1500. Centred on England and her direct neighbours, they deal with scribes and schools of writing, scribal techniques, and wider questions of communication in written language, literacy and the availability of books. This is a book of interest not only to palaeographers but also to historians, linguists, literary scholars and librarians.

Whole Language vs. Code Emphasis: Underlying Assumptions and Their Implications for Reading Instruction*

Abstract: Promoters ofWhole Language hew to the belief that learning to read and write can be as natural and effortless as learning to perceive and produce speech. From this it follows that there is no special key to reading and writing, no explicit principle to be taught that, once learned, makes the written language transparent to a child who can speak. Lacking such a principle, Whole Language falls back on a method that encourages children to get from print just enough information to provide a basis for guessing at the gist. A very different method, called Code Emphasis, presupposes that learning the spoken language is, indeed, perfectly natural and seemingly effortless, but only because speech is managed, as reading and writing are not, by a biological specialization, that automatically spells or parses all the words the child commands. Hence, a child normally learns to use words without ever becoming explicitly aware that each one is formed by the consonants and vowels that an alphabet represents. Yet it is exactly this awareness that must be taught if the child is to grasp the alphabetic principle and so understand how the artifacts of an alphabet transcribe the natural units oflanguage. There is evidence that preliterate children do not, in fact, have much of this awareness; that the amount they do have predicts their reading achievement; that the awareness can be taught; and that the relative difficulty oflearning it that some children have may be a reflection of weakness in the phonological component of their natural capacity for language.

Letters, sounds, and symbols: Changes in children's understanding of written language

Abstract: Children between 3–5 years who knew the alphabet but could not read were given three tasks. In the first, they decided which of two words was longer when the word pairs were presented orally, in writing, or accompanying pictures. In the second, they “read” a word when it accompanied a picture of the named object and then again when it was placed with a picture of a different object. Finally, they were given a set of plastic letters with which they could create their own words. Although all the children had explicit knowledge of letters and sounds, they lacked symbolic knowledge of how letters represent sounds. This symbolic knowledge, it is claimed, is a precondition to learning to read.

Morphological Development and Writing Ability in Children and Adults.

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to investigate morphological knowledge in spoken language and its relationship to written representation of morphemes by normally achieving second graders, language-le...

Communicative Writing Profiles: An Investigation of the Transferability of a Multiple‐Trait Scoring Instrument Across ESL Writing Assessment Contexts *

Abstract: This study investigated the validity of using a multipletrait scoring procedure to obtain communicative writing profiles of the writing performance of adult nonnative English speakers in assessment contexts different from that for which the instrument was designed. Tran sferability could be of great benefit to those without the resources to design and pilot a multiple-trait scoring instrument of their own. A modification of the New Profile Scale (NPS)was applied in the rating of 170 essays taken from two non-NPS contexts, including 91 randomly selected essays of the Test of Written English and 79 essays written by a cohort of University of Michigan entering undergraduate nonnative English speaking students responding to the Michigan Writing Assessment. The scoring method taken as a who leappeared to be highly reliable in composite assessment, appropriate for application to essays of different timed lengths and rhetorical modes, and appropriateto writers of different levels of educational preparation. However, whereas the subscales of Communicative Quality and Linguistic Accuracy tended to show individual discriminant validity, little psychometric support for reporting scores on seven or five components of writing was found. Arguments for transferring the NPS for use in new writing assessment contexts would thus be educational rather than statistical.

Gestalt imagery: A critical factor in language comprehension

Abstract: Gestalt imagery—the ability to create imaged wholes—is a critical factor in oral and written language comprehension. Despite good decoding, good vocabulary, and adequate background experiences, many individuals experience weak gestalt imagery, thus processing “parts” rather than “wholes,” from verbal stimuli, spoken or written. This contributes to a Language Comprehension Disorder that may be accompanied by a commonality of symptoms: weak reading comprehension, weak oral language comprehension, weak oral language expression, weak written language expression, difficulty following directions, and a weak sense of humor. Sequential stimulation using an inquiry technique develops gestalt imagery and results in significant improvement in reading comprehension.

Viewpoints: The Word and the World--Reconceptualizing Written Language Development or Do Rainbows Mean a Lot to Little Girls?.

Abstract: Arguing that current research has fragmented educators' vision of both written language and development, this article aims to contribute to a more integrative vision, one that preserves the integrity of written language as a symbol system. Based on a critical consideration of literature both on written language growth and on the role of symbols in human experience, the article suggests five principles that would seem to characterize written language development: the establishment of equivalences, exploration and orchestration of the system, reliance on shifting relationships of form and function, differentiation and integration of symbolic functions, and participation in social dialogue. These principles highlight the dialectical relationship between function and form, between child construction and adult guidance. The articulated vision of development differs in fundamental ways from most current viewpoints, as it does not consider written language as simply an extension of the child's oral language but as the evolution of a distinct symbolic option with links to the child's entire symbolic repertoire. The implications of this viewpoint for both sociopolitical and pedagogical issues of literacy construction in early schooling are discussed. On the last day of the school year, Margaret asked her kindergarten through third-grade students to remember with her the stories they had written during their years in the primary school. The third graders especially discussed the value writing had come to have in their lives as a way of sharing experiences, developing their "imaginations," and expressing themselves as "artists," and they looked back with both puzzlement and appreciation to their kindergarten year. For example, Gina commented, "The one thing I know meant a lot to me in kindergarten was rainbows, 'cause every single um story in my journal has a rainbow in it" an observation Margaret agreed with: kindergarten girls' stories "have lots of rainbows and stars and flowers and hearts." Support for this work was provided by the Office of Educational Research and Improvement/Department of Education (OERI/ED). However, the opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the position or policy of the OERI/ED should be inferred. I thank my research assistant Paula Crivello who helped survey the literature reviewed herein. Research in the Teaching of English, Vol. 25, No. 1, February 1991

Second Language Acquisition Theories and Teaching Practice: How Do They Fit?

Abstract: AT THE AGE OF TWENTY-TWO, MY DAUGHTER then a college senior was diagnosed as suffering from Attention Deficit Disorder, a learning disability characterized, in her case, by short attention span, easy distractability, poor motor coordination, poor handwriting, and inconsistent spelling.' Results of the WoodcockJohnson Psycho-Educational Battery indicated above average verbal ability and reading aptitude, but a severe deficit in visual perceptual speed, and below average scores in math and written language aptitude. All other abilities tested, such as broad cognitive ability, reasoning, memory, and knowledge aptitude, were well within the average ranges. You may wonder about the relevance of my daughter's learning disability to the topic of this paper. Of interest is that, as a result of that learning disability diagnosis, my daughter received a waiver for requirements in mathematics and foreign languages. Still more interesting is, however, that my daughter-whose psychological test profile indicates apparently little talent for learning a foreign language--is functionally trilingual. She has native fluency in English, rates probably a "terminal two" on the ILR Scale in German, and about a 1 + in Spanish.2 When she was diagnosed as lacking foreign language learning aptitude, she had already fulfilled her language requirement and was enrolled in a third-year Spanish composition course with which she did, however, have major problems. A superficial examination of the facts reported may lead one to doubt the construct and predictive validities of the psychological tests used to determine learning disabilities. How, after all, can an individual who has acquired a functional proficiency in two nonprimary languages be suddenly considered as lacking in foreign language learning aptitude? A closer look at my daughter's second language learning history may provide some explanation for the apparent inconsistency. My daughter acquired German as a "mother tongue." That is, the language spoken to her by her mother up to about age seven was predominantly German. In addition to the input she received from her mother in the US, she spent an average of about six weeks annually in Germany during her early childhood. Since the age of seven, English became with rare exceptions the exclusive language in the home. My daughter did, however, continue to spend intermittent summer vacations with German relatives. The two times she attempted to "learn" German as a foreign language in high school and college she did not do particularly well. At the time I gave the fault for her mediocre performance to the teachers whoin my opinion--were unable to deal with her superior conversational fluency within the constraints of a grammar-oriented classroom. My daughter's efforts to learn Spanish started in high school, but she dropped the course because she found the highly analytical grammatical approach boring. She then took the first two semesters at the university, completing both courses with a grade of C. After her year of elementary college Spanish she spent one summer in an intensive study program in Mexico, and the following summer holding summer employment in Costa Rica. To make a long story short, my daughter has been successful in acquiring three languages in a predominantly natural acquisition environment but has considerable problems learning a language in a formal school setting where the instructional goals, activities, and tests emphasize analysis and mastery of the grammatical code. Her experience has led me to reexamine The Modern Language Journal, 75, i (1991) 0026-7902/91/0001/017 $1.50/0 ?1991 The Modern LanguageJournal

Progress Monitoring with Objective Measures of Writing Performance for Students with Mild Disabilities

Abstract: To adequately monitor progress in writing, a test must show stability and demonstrate a performance profile over time that parallels those of accepted criterion measures. This study investigated the technical adequacy of seven objective indexes of writing quality in monitoring the progress of 36 middle school (Grades 6–8) students with mild disabilities over a 6-month period. The stability of each index was assessed. Holistic ratings of the same writing samples and the Test of Written Language served as validation criteria. Three indexes were moderately correlated with holistic ratings, but were not sufficiently stable over time. Direct, objective writing assessment must he used with caution for progress monitoring, given our present lack of precision in measuring the complex task of writing.

From sentence production to text production: Investigating fundamental processes

Abstract: The purpose of the present article is to present a nom exhaustive review about the cognitive psychology research in english and in french language, dealing with the study of the organization and the functioning of the oral and written language production mechanisms.

Literacy in Australia

Abstract: This discussion will focus upon English literacy research which draws upon systemic functional linguistic theory. Over the last ten to fifteen years, a significant number of applied linguists and language educators have emerged in Australia who use systemic functional linguistic theory to address a wide range of research questions. Their effort has been stimulated by the scholarly leadership of Halliday (e.g., 1985a), who took up the Chair of Linguistics at Sydney University in the late 1970s, as well as that of colleagues and former students of his, including Hasan (e.g., Halliday and Hasan 1985) and Martin (e.g., 1985a). The group of scholars who have emerged have contributed to the development of a rich tradition of research and teaching in English literacy in both first and second language contexts. Such a tradition offers the prospect of an educational linguistics of value both to researchers and teachers. More than one tradition of linguistic research might well contribute to the development of an educational linguistics. However, it is the particular claims and contributions of systemic functional linguistic theory that are argued for here.

Development of graphic skills: Research perspectives and educational implications.

Abstract: Part 1 Development of written language: where writing starts - the analysis of action applied to the historical development of writing. Part 2 Dynamics of development - writing: a new method for the evaluation of handwritten material characteristics of the developing handwriting skill in elementary education a developmental study of the relation between movement patterns in letter combinations (words) and writings. Part 3 dynamics of development - drawing: the development of drawing principles in Chinese isochrony and accuracy of drawing movements in children - effects of age and context. Part 4 Individual differences - the development of style: is the inverted handwriting posture really so bad for left-handers? the effect of teachers' personal handwriting on their reproduction of school handwriting models developmental dynamics of handwriting - appraising the relation between handwriting and personality. Part 5 Dysfunction: development of reading, spelling and writing skills from third to sixth grade in normal and dysgraphic school children the identification of dyslexic handwriting through graphoanalysis estimating a child's learning potential from form errors in a child's printing variability in children's handwriting - computer diagnosis of writing difficulties. Part 6 Remedial issues: dysfluency in children's handwriting handwriting training - computer aided tools for remedial drawing and handwriting difficulties - reasons for and remediation of dysfunction.

Initial Enabling Knowledge and Skills in Reading Acquisition: Print Awareness and Phonological Segmentation

Abstract: The acquisition of reading skill does not begin with formal instruction in school. Throughout the preschool years, most children in Western societies are subjected to a great deal of informal literacy socialization. Although a majority of children enter school as nonreaders in a traditional sense, they often display surprisingly well-developed concepts of the nature and the function of written language. A skill component, however, also is involved in reading literacy, which does not easily seem to develop spontaneously in the natural ecology of a child, but which, in many cases, seems to require explicit teaching for its development. The purpose of this chapter is to discuss some of the important steps preschool children seem to take on the route to literacy and to review some empirical studies that especially reveal the critical importance of phonological awareness in reading acquisition.

Language Problems: A Key to Early Reading Problems

Abstract: Publisher Summary Memory-processing problems are more than a characteristic of children with learning disabilities (LDs). This chapter provides an overview of the cognitive processes that are involved in reading. It presents an approach to the problem of early reading disability that is being guided by the assumption that reading is first, and foremost, a language skill. Psychologists, educators, and medical doctors have tried to identify the basis of early reading difficulty, and their efforts have always been guided by a rationale of some sort or another that reflects some basic assumptions as to what skilled reading is all about. For this reason, a basic understanding of the assumptions behind the studies and experiments that seek to explain early reading problems is an obvious place to begin. To introduce these assumptions, the chapter describes how the English alphabet functions as written language by mapping onto the structure of spoken English.