Can you raed tihs?

[Az]

from http://science.slashdot.org/science/03/09/15/2227256.shtml?tid=133&tid=134&tid=186

Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at an Elingsh uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht frist and lsat ltteer is at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae we do not raed ervey lteter by it slef but the wrod as a wlohe.

[Garage Queen]

1. Oh. My. Goodness. They're right!

I had no problem reading that text and zipped through at normal speed.

Dang, all those years studying speeellling were for nothing! :7

[northzax]

2. hmm, so what you're saying

is that whole language is more important than phonics?

[JHB]

9. I don't think so...

...since that's only true if the reader is quite familiar with the "base" word and if the sentence isn't too hard to follow.

If you don't know a word nor are able to anticipate it from context, then you'r lost in the jumble.

[northzax]

13. exactly. that's whole language

the idea that you can interpret a word you don't know from context. as opposed to phonics which simply teaches you how to pronounce a word, the mechanics, if you will.

take this example:

Johnny perambulated to the store. using phonics, it is impossible to determine what this word is. sure, you can pronounce it, but that doesn't help much, does it? But using whole language you can quickly determine that 'preambulated' is the past tense of a word that refers to a method of moving.

it's even worse with a spelling error, like in the first example, phonics are no help, whatsoever, while whole language skills help you determine context and what the word must be.

[JHB]

18. That's "building your vocabulary"

If you call that "whole language" then bully for you.

However, I don't see what you apparently think is so wrong about phonics. It teaches the building blocks of word construction and pronunciation, and it's not supposed to do more. The meanings and contexts come from using those words in reading and writing.

Why do you make this a hobby horse? What is so incompatible about them that you knock one and exhort the other?

[northzax]

19. you haven't been to an elementary school lately, have you?

were you aware that one of the precepts of school reform in the late 90's was the lifting of phonics to preeminence in the teaching of reading? That most test-prep is based on phonics? sure, phonics can be a tool. But only a tool. you can memorize the fact that 2+2=4, right? and if someone shows you 2+2=__ you know that 4 goes in the blank. that, in a nutshell, is how phonics are taught in this country. reading is not rote memorization, it is an art, that must be taught as one.

Which do you think is a better way to learn to read?

let's take the word CAT.

would you rather have your child learn that...

a: to pronounce CA='KA' and T (the phonics method)

b: someone showing them: and the word CAT and letting them figure it out for themselves? which will enable them to learn more? whaddya think?

If you go to a school that is failing the 'no child left behind act' they are being forced to teach the former way, developing a nation of memorization robots. not anyone who can THINK. but I guess that's ok.

[chenGOD]

20. That's more vocabulary building/grammar than whole language...

as based on my experience teaching ESL. And it takes a while before people learn the various forms of past tense conjugations. However, I will agree with you and say that whole language is a much better education method than solely phonics (albeit slightly more frustrating for the teacher at times...).

Phonics is useful as a supplement to whole language, but in general with whole language, you get the necessary phonetic learning without even really thinking about it.

[rock]

3. Gives a whole new meaning to secret codes

Actually, I mean cyphers. Since you could semi-scramble the message before encyphering.

[Brucey]

4. No, first and last letters in the right place isn't the ONLY important

thing. It is also important that the sentence is sensible and easily recognizable. In fact, in most sentences, you can completely leave out a word and people will still be ---- to read it.

[northzax]

5. I know, I know!!!

elephant. that's the missing word, right?

[thom1102]

6. That's funny!

I just got this in an email from my uncle, like, two minutes ago!

[SweetZombieJesus]

7. Lets test this theory

What word is this?

atidshnietsbamlshintmerasiam

[Garage Queen]

11. antidisestablishmentarianism.

:7

[Liberal Veteran]

8. It sorta reminds me of the spellcheck poem.

Eye have a spelling checker
It came with my Pea Sea
It plane lee marks four my revue
Miss steaks aye can knot sea.

Eye ran this poem threw it,
Your sure reel glad two no.
Its vary polished in it's weigh
My checker tolled me sew.

A checker is a bless sing,
It freeze yew lodes of thyme.
it helps me right awl stiles two read,
And aides me when aye rime.

Each frays come posed up on my screen
Eye trussed too bee a joule
The checker pour o'er every word
To cheque sum spelling rule.

Be for a veiling checkers
Hour spelling mite decline,
And it were lacks or have a laps,
We wood be maid to wine.

Butt now bee cause my spelling
Is checked with such grate flare,
Their are know faults with in my cite,
Of non eye am a wear.

Now spelling does know phase me.
it does know bring a tier.
My pay purrs awl due glad den
With wrapped words fare as hear.

To rite with care is quite a feet
Of witch won should be proud.
And wee mussed dew the best wee can
Sew flaws are knot aloud.

Sow ewe can sea why aye dew prays
Such soft ware four pea seas,
And why I brake in two averse
By righting want too pleas.

[Kamika]

10. tihs has aredaly been psoetd

Ptrtey fnnuy aaywny

[Interrobang]

12. That's a real boon to the editors of Slashdot...

Not a one of them can actually spell. Too bad for the rest of us...

Unlike those poor monolinguals, I am a holdout for phonics. You can't possibly learn another language without learning the phonics almost right off the bat, and you're never going to read as well in your native language without them, either.

I'm also willing to bet (linguistics geekery) that this theory doesn't work in very many other languages besides English. I can already think of one language where it categorically would NOT work...hmm... Any language which operates from logogrammic or ideogrammic graphemes -- out; any language which omits certain phonemes (usually vowels) in its written form (or includes them only as diacritics) -- out; any language which uses a syllabary instead of an alphabet -- out!

This writing form also significantly slows my reading speed. I notice these things.

[northzax]

14. ahh, but the question as posed

refers to English, not French, German, Japanese or Urdu. While I will grant you that phonics instruction is useful to a certain extent, I don't believe (from my experience both teaching and learning second languages) that it should be the backbone of instruction, especially in English.

[chenGOD]

17. Sorry, as an ESL teacher I'm gonna disagree with you...

Whole language is a much better way to teach someone a language in my experience (5 years teaching at levels from Kindergarten to Adult).

I will agree that this theory would definitely not work in languages like Korean (which does have an alphabet), Japanese, Chinese, Greek or many other languages.

I will also agree that this method of writing slows reading comprehension, it certainly took me longer to read the original post as opposed to your post.

[5thGenDemocrat]

15. This is Polly John's friend.

Amazingly, I read the whole thing with absolutely no problems...I would say that the research that was done, was right on the money.

[AlabamaDem]

16. Damn, they're right...

I read that quickly and easily. I guess I won't waste my time fixing typing mistakes anymore.

[SOteric]

21. Did you also know...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=105&topic_id=192427


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=105&topic_id=195409


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=105&topic_id=195885

[sexybomber]

22. that doesn't surprise me

I zipped through that at full speed. Comes from reading really badly misspelled stuff on AIM i guess...