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To: eclecticEel
The question is whether it’s better, for a child who hasn’t learned yet, to jump straight to sight-reading or use phonics as a stepping stone.

There are a few hundred thousand words in English. No adult knows them all. What does an adult do when he or she encounters a word they don't know? I bet they look at the letters and syllables, left to right. Then make a stab at the pronunciation, and look for any familiar root words that are part of the new word, etc., and then use a dictionary.

It would seem that everyone would be better off learning to look at the letters and syllables that make up a word, and learning to pronounce and discern the meaning of most new words to some extent, and then use a dictionary.

15 posted on 03/02/2011 4:52:54 PM PST by Will88
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To: Will88
The English language vocabulary is OPEN ENDED. There are at least a million words firmly implanted somewhere in English, and millions more away as it gobbles up everything else for use in a universal language.

You'll notice that to keep up with this vast flow Bill Gates actually implemented an overt program of substituting Hieroglyphics where practical!

21 posted on 03/02/2011 5:07:09 PM PST by muawiyah (Make America Safe For Americans)
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