Return-Path: <nifl-4eff@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id h6HKKB722748; Thu, 17 Jul 2003 16:20:11 -0400 (EDT) Date: Thu, 17 Jul 2003 16:20:11 -0400 (EDT) Message-Id: <5C13E532.17B95F6B.0A349A3F@aol.com> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-4eff@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-4eff@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-4eff@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: AWilder106@aol.com To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-4eff@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-4EFF:2426] Re: A small point on reading theory X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 X-Mailer: Atlas Mailer 2.0 Status: O Content-Length: 1245 Lines: 17 George, you'd have to ask how does SPEECH/LANGUAGE take place and how does READING take place as two different activities. I said yesterday that "syntax makes us human," and I think that is right. Syntax is really a subject and a verb--something plus an action. This is a constant across all languages. Babies start by learning single words--names--for single items. Then they put them together with a verb, an action. that's syntax. Pidgin languages do the same, they're the simplest form of language. Reading without syntax is nothing, a bunch of vocabulary. Syntax is MEANING, which is why we read, anyway, we don't read for phonemes. So anything that you do that aims towards MEANING, towards SYNTAX is a good thing, what it's all about. Reading itself does depend on knowing the sound relationships, BUT if a reader cannot read for syntax and meaning, which means the individual reader has to read whole sentences out loud, completely, so they can hear them make sense,then the point of reading is lost. I believe you have to start out with the big picture as soon as possible--even with simple CVC words. This means starting out with REGULARITY and SYNTAX at the same time. This may be more than you asked.... Andrea
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