Our systems are now restored following recent technical disruption, and we’re working hard to catch up on publishing. We apologise for the inconvenience caused. Find out more

Recommended product

Popular links

Popular links


Learning to Read across Languages and Writing Systems

Learning to Read across Languages and Writing Systems

Learning to Read across Languages and Writing Systems

Ludo Verhoeven, Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen
Charles Perfetti, University of Pittsburgh
April 2020
Available
Paperback
9781107479531

    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.

    • Offers a cross-linguistic view on learning to read
    • Provides insight into the relation between oral and written language
    • Defines what is universal and particular in learning to read across languages

    Reviews & endorsements

    ‘To sum up in my opinion this book provides invaluable and concise information about the process of reading across different languages … The process of reading and for extension, this book should be in-depth study by linguists, primary teachers, language teachers, psychologists, speech therapists, and even parents. I will strongly recommend this book to every single person that deals with children or adults learning how to read and improve the reading skills, not just in their mother tongues but also in L2.’ Pamela Villar González, LINGUIST List

    See more reviews

    Product details

    April 2020
    Paperback
    9781107479531
    508 pages
    229 × 152 × 25 mm
    0.75kg
    24 b/w illus. 1 map 34 tables
    Available

    Table of Contents

    • 1. Introduction: universals in learning to read across languages and writing systems Ludo Verhoeven and Charles Perfetti
    • 2. Learning to read Chinese Becky Chen-Baumgarten and Adrian Pasquarella
    • 3. Learning to read Japanese Keiko Koda
    • 4. Learning to read Korean Min Wang, Jeung-Ryeul Cho and Chuchu Li
    • 5. Learning to read Kannada Sonali Nag
    • 6. Learning to read Arabic Elinor Saiegh-Haddad
    • 7. Learning to read Hebrew David Share
    • 8. Learning to read Greek Athanassios Protopapas
    • 9. Learning to read Italian Christina Burani, Anna Thornton and Pierluigi Zoccolitti
    • 10. Learning to read French Helene Deacon, Alain Desrochers and Kyle Levesque
    • 11. Learning to read Spanish Sylvia Defior and Fransisca Serrano
    • 12. Learning to read German Karin Landerl
    • 13. Learning to read Dutch Ludo Verhoeven
    • 14. Learning to read English Charles Perfetti
    • 15. Learning to read Czech and Slovakian Marketa Caravolas
    • 16. Learning to read Russian Elena Grigorenko, Sergey Kornilov and Natalia Rakhlin
    • 17. Learning to read Finnish Mikko Aro
    • 18. Learning to read Turkish Aydin Durgunoglu
    • 19. Epilogue: universals and particulars in learning to read across seventeen orthographies Charles Perfetti and Ludo Verhoeven.
      Contributors
    • Ludo Verhoeven, Charles Perfetti, Becky Chen-Baumgarten, Adrian Pasquarella, Keiko Koda, Min Wang,Jeung-Ryeul Cho, Chuchu Li, Sonali Nag, Elinor Saiegh-Haddad, David Share, Athanassios Protopapas. Christina Burani, Anna Thornton, Pierluigi Zoccolitti, Helene Deacon, Alain Desrochers, Kyle Levesque, Sylvia Defior, Fransisca Serrano, Karin Landerl, Marketa Caravolas, Elena Grigorenko, Sergey Kornilov, Natalia Rakhlin, Mikko Aro, Aydin Durgunoglu

    • Editors
    • Ludo Verhoeven , Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen

      Ludo Verhoeven is coordinator of the Learning and Plasticity Group of the Behaviour Science Institute at Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen and scientific director of the National Language Education Center.

    • Charles Perfetti , University of Pittsburgh

      Charles Perfetti is Distinguished University Professor of Psychology and Director of the Learning Research and Development Center at the University of Pittsburgh.