Learning to Spell

Learning to Spell

Author: Charles A. Perfetti

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 1997-08-01

Total Pages: 448

ISBN-13: 1135691339

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This distinctive cross-linguistic examination of spelling examines the cognitive processes that underlie spelling and the process of learning how to spell. The chapters report and summarize recent research in English, German, Hebrew, and French. Framing the specific research on spelling are chapters that place spelling in braod theoretical perspectives provided by cognitive neuroscience, psycholinguistic, and writing system-linguistic frameworks. Of special interest is the focus on two major interrelated issues: how spelling is acquired and the relationship between reading and spelling. An important dimension of the book is the interweaving of these basic questions about the nature of spelling with practical questions about how children learn to spell in classrooms. A motivating factor in this work was to demonstrate that spelling research has become a central challenging topic in the study of cognitive processes, rather than an isolated skill learned in school. It thus brings together schooling and learning issues with modern cognitive research in a unique way. testing, children writing strings of letters as a teacher pronounces words ever so clearly. In parts of the United States it can also bring an image of specialized wizardry and school room competition, the "spelling bee." And for countless adults who confess with self-deprecation to being "terrible spellers," it is a reminder of a mysterious but minor affliction that the fates have visited on them. Beneath these popular images, spelling is a human literacy ability that reflects language and nonlanguage cognitive processes. This collection of papers presents a sample of contemporary research across different languages that addresses this ability. To understand spelling as an interesting scientific problem, there are several important perspectives. First, spelling is the use of conventionalized writing systems that encode languages. A second asks how children learn to spell. Finally, from a literacy point of view, another asks the extent to which spelling and reading are related. In collecting some of the interesting research on spelling, the editors have adopted each of these perspectives. Many of the papers themselves reflect more than one perspective, and the reader will find important observations about orthographies, the relationship between spelling and reading, and issues of learning and teaching throughout the collection.


Handbook of Orthography and Literacy

Handbook of Orthography and Literacy

Author: R. Malatesha Joshi

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2013-05-13

Total Pages: 1203

ISBN-13: 113678134X

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Until about two decades ago, the study of writing systems and their relationship to literacy acquisition was sparse and generally modeled after studies of English language learners. This situation is now changing. As the worldwide demand for literacy continues to grow, researchers from different countries with different language backgrounds have begun examining the connection between their writing systems and literacy acquisition. This text, which derives from a NATO sponsored conference on orthography and literacy, brings together the research of 70 scholars from across the world--the largest assemblage of such experts to date. Their findings are grouped into three parts, as follows: Part I, Literacy Acquisition in Different Writing Systems, describes the relationship between orthography and literacy in twenty-five orthographic systems. This section serves as a handy reference source for understanding the orthographies of languages as diverse as Arabic, Chinese, English, Icelandic, Kannada, and Kishwahili. Part II, Literacy Acquisition From a Cross-Linguistic Perspective, makes direct comparisons of literacy acquisition in English and other orthographic systems. The overall conclusion that emerges from these eight chapters is that the depth of an orthographic system does influence literacy acquisition primarily by slowing down the acquisition of reading skills. Even so, studies show that dyslexic readers can be found across all orthographic systems whether shallow or deep, which shows that dyslexia also has internal cognitive and biological components. Part III, Literacy Acquisition: Instructional Perspectives, explores literacy acquisition from developmental and instructional perspectives and ends with a look into the future of literacy research. This Handbook is appropriate for scholars, researchers, and graduate students in such diverse fields as cognitive psychology, psycholinguistics, literacy education, English as a second language, and communication disorders.


Spelling and Society

Spelling and Society

Author: Mark Sebba

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2007-03-29

Total Pages: 159

ISBN-13: 1139462024

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Spelling matters to people. In America and Britain every day, members of the public write to the media on spelling issues, and take part in spelling contests. In Germany, a reform of the spelling system has provoked a constitutional crisis; in Galicia, a 'war of orthographies' parallels an intense public debate on national identity; on walls, bridges and trains globally, PUNX and ANARKISTS proclaim their identities orthographically. The way we spell often represents an attempt to associate with, or dissociate from, other languages. In Spelling and Society, Mark Sebba explores why matters of orthography are of real concern to so many groups, as a reflection of culture, history and social practices, and as a powerful symbol of national or local identity. This 2007 book will be welcomed by students and researchers in English language, orthography and sociolinguistics, and by anyone interested in the importance of spelling in contemporary society.


The Varieties of Orthographic Knowledge

The Varieties of Orthographic Knowledge

Author: V.W. Berninger

Publisher: Springer

Published: 1994-10-31

Total Pages: 408

ISBN-13:

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This volume is the first of a two-part series dealing with the theoretical, definitional, methodological, and developmental issues involved in investigating the role of orthography in reading and writing. Although research on orthography has a long history in experimental psychology and neuropsychology, it was relatively neglected during the past decade when researchers turned their attention to phonological processes in literacy. However, interest in orthography is reemerging as the research reported in this series demonstrates. Taken together, the two volumes report evidence for shared and independent genetic pathways, shared and independent electrophysiological brain activity, and shared and independent behavioral indices of orthographic and phonological processes and emphasize the similarities and differences of orthographies across languages. Volume I proposes a theoretical framework based on the multiple dimensions of orthographic knowledge for guiding future research. For basic and applied researchers and graduate students in cognitive and developmental psychology, neuropsychology, linguistics, and education.


Advances in Historical Orthography, c. 1500–1800

Advances in Historical Orthography, c. 1500–1800

Author: Marco Condorelli

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2020-11-12

Total Pages: 325

ISBN-13: 110864094X

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The early modern period is a key historical era for the standardisation of languages in Europe, in which orthographies played an important role. This book traces the development of European spelling systems in the early modern era, and is unique in bringing together several strands of historical research, across a diverse range of Germanic, Romance and Slavic languages, including Polish, German, French, Spanish, Lithuanian, Czech, Croatian and English. Whilst each chapter includes a case study on a particular language or script, the volume in general follows a broad thread of discussion based on models and methods relevant to many languages, showing how empirical approaches can be applied across languages to enrich the field of historical orthography as a whole. The first volume to diachronically explore the standardization of spelling systems from a cross-linguistic perspective, this is an invaluable resource for specialists and those interested in historical European studies more broadly.


Development of Orthographic Knowledge and the Foundations of Literacy

Development of Orthographic Knowledge and the Foundations of Literacy

Author: Shane Templeton

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2013-07-04

Total Pages: 385

ISBN-13: 1135438900

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This volume unites spelling and word recognition -- two areas that have largely remained theoretically and empirically distinct. Despite considerable advances in the investigation of processes underlying word perception and the acknowledgement of the seminal importance of lexical access in the reading and writing processes, to date the development and functioning of orthographic knowledge across both encoding and decoding contexts has rarely been explored. The book begins to fill this void by offering a coherent and unified articulation of the perceptual, linguistic, and cognitive features that characterize an individual's advancing word/orthographic knowledge, providing evidence for a common knowledge base underlying spelling in writing and word recognition in reading. From a developmental perspective, the studies and syntheses presented in this volume blend insights from psychology and language study with those from clinical and classroom observations. These insights help explain how individuals, from preschool through adolescence, develop knowledge of the orthographic system underlying word structure in English and how they apply this knowledge in actual writing and reading contexts. Implications are drawn for the assessment and teaching of spelling, vocabulary, and word analysis from primary through middle grades.


Literacy Development and Enhancement Across Orthographies and Cultures

Literacy Development and Enhancement Across Orthographies and Cultures

Author: Dorit Aram

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2009-12-04

Total Pages: 247

ISBN-13: 144190834X

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One key measure of a country’s status in the world is the literacy of its people; at the same time, global migration has led to increased interest in bilingualism and foreign language learning as topics of research. Literacy Development and Enhancement Across Orthographies and Cultures reviews international studies of the role of literacy in child development, particularly how children learn their first written language and acquire a second written and spoken one. Comparisons and contrasts are analyzed across eight countries and 11 languages, including English, Spanish, Mandarin, Hebrew, Dutch, and Catalan. Using qualitative and quantitative, established and experimental methods, contributors trace toddlers’ development of print awareness, clear up common myths regarding parental involvement and non-involvement in their children’s literacy, and suggest how the spelling of words can aid in the gaining of vocabulary. For added relevance to educators, the book includes chapters on early intervention for reading problems and the impact of pedagogical science on teaching literacy. Highlights of the coverage: Letter name knowledge in early spelling development Early informal literacy experiences Environmental factors promoting literacy at home Reading books to young children: what it does—and doesn’t do The role of orthography in literacy acquisition among monolingual and bilingual children Gaining literacy in a foreign language Instructional influences on literacy growth Literacy Development and Enhancement Across Orthographies and Cultures adds significant depth and interest to the knowledge base and should inspire contributions from additional languages and orthographies. It belongs in the libraries of researchers and educators involved in cognitive psychology, language education, early childhood education and linguistics.


Cross-linguistic Study of Spelling in English as a Foreign Language

Cross-linguistic Study of Spelling in English as a Foreign Language

Author: Nadezda Lvovna Dich

Publisher:

Published: 2011

Total Pages: 168

ISBN-13:

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The study investigated the effects of learning literacy in different first languages (L1s) on the acquisition of spelling in English as a foreign language (EFL). The hypothesis of the study was that given the same amount of practice, English learners from different first language backgrounds would differ on their English spelling proficiency because different orthographies "train" spelling skills differently and therefore the opportunities for positive cross-linguistic transfer that benefits English spelling would differ across L1s. The study also predicted that cross-linguistic differences in English spelling would not be the same across different components of spelling proficiency because cross-linguistic transfer would affect some skills involved in spelling competence, but not others. The study tested native speakers of Danish, Italian, and Russian with intermediate to advanced EFL proficiency. The three languages were chosen for this study based on the differences in native language spelling skills required to learn the three orthographies. One hundred Danish, 98 Italian, and 104 Russian university students, as well as a control group of 95 American students were recruited to participate in the web-based study, which was composed of four tasks testing four skills previously identified as components of English spelling proficiency: irregular word spelling, sensitivity to morphological spelling cues, sensitivity to context -driven probabilistic orthographic patterns, and phonological awareness. The study confirmed the existence of cross-linguistic differences in English spelling and found that the differences were not the same across different spelling skills tested in the study. The evidence from the study suggests that the characteristics of L1 orthography have an impact on the cognitive procedures involved in second language spelling explained by the transfer of cognitive spelling strategies from L1 to L2. The study contributes to the relatively new area of research investigating spelling in a second language by exploring languages that have not been previously studied in the context of EFL spelling and by considering multiple aspects of spelling proficiency. The implications of the findings for theoretical cognitive-linguistic research and educational practices are discussed.


Learning to Read across Languages and Writing Systems

Learning to Read across Languages and Writing Systems

Author: Ludo Verhoeven

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2017-10-12

Total Pages: 509

ISBN-13: 1108210457

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Around the world, children embark on learning to read in their home language or writing system. But does their specific language, and how it is written, make a difference to how they learn? How is learning to read English similar to or different from learning in other languages? Is reading alphabetic writing a different challenge from reading syllabic or logographic writing? Learning to Read across Languages and Writing Systems examines these questions across seventeen languages representing the world's different major writing systems. Each chapter highlights the key features of a specific language, exploring research on learning to read, spell, and comprehend it, and on implications for education. The editors' introduction describes the global spread of reading and provides a theoretical framework, including operating principles for learning to read. The editors' final chapter draws conclusions about cross-linguistic universal trends, and the challenges posed by specific languages and writing systems.