Learning to read 1 Three issues for this lecture: 1.What is reading? 2.What is language? 3.What is the task facing children as they learn to read?

Learning to read 2 1. What is reading? Reading is a process through which word identities and names are associated with printed visual forms meanings represented in visual form are retrieved. Reading gives us access to other people’s thoughts without those people being present.

Learning to read 3 1. What is reading? More generally, reading is use of visual language. To properly understand it, we need to understand what language is. Our next question is: What is language?

Learning to read 4 2. What is language? Traditional view (found in text): Language is a system in which symbols and meanings are linked for the purpose of communication. Alternative view – Derek Bickerton Language is a system of (mental) representation. It turns out to be useful also for communicating representations from one mind to another.

Learning to read 5 2. What is language? Communication (a) Lexical – meaning communicated by words and sentences (b) Non-lexical – meaning communicated by tone, for example, humour, emotion, interrogation, firmness, pleading. Can these things be put into writing? Issue: is communicating the same as referring?

Learning to read 6 How did language evolve? We don’t know. There is little evidence of the process. Arguments that language evolved from gestures are unconvincing (see below). evolution of the airway and oral cavity social development (what did our ancestors have to say?) communicating in the dark, hands-free indexical function?

Learning to read 7 Deixis (referring to, indexing) Before we analyze the process of learning to read, think about the difference between pointing to a thing and naming it: a.Pointing Cannot happen when the thing is not present Difficult to point to parts or qualities of a thing (e.g., can you point to the shininess of a shiny object?)

Learning to read 8 Deixis b. Naming A name can be uttered when the thing is not present. This allows for the possibility of non-literal meaning – a comment not about surface form. Allows more analytic thinking – you can name a part or a quality of a thing (e.g., you can talk about the shininess of a shiny object).

Learning to read 9 2. What is language? Levels of analysis: Phonetics Phonology Morphology Lexicon Syntax Semantics Discourse Pragmatics

Learning to read What is the task children face as they learn? Phonology – must recognize the sounds of the language and develop metalinguistic awareness of how sounds combine to form words Morphology – must recognize morphemes in a word and be able to combine morphemes to make ‘legal’ words In both cases, being able to see the part-whole relations is crucial (put parts together, analyze whole into parts).

Learning to read What is the task children face as they learn? Discourse – comprehension depends upon recognizing (at least implicitly) the structure of the text: A. Narrative structure – based on temporal sequence of events described. B. Expository structure – logical; based on abstract thought about something (not temporal sequence)

Learning to read 12 What resources must children bring to reading? A.World knowledge B.Working and LT memory capacity C.Control of attention For moving eyes over page For listening to instruction

Learning to read 13 What resources must children bring to reading? Print awareness Letter awareness Phonemic awareness Awareness of G-P correspondences Syntactic awareness Text-structure awareness

Learning to read 14 Title

Learning to read 15 Title