Mini Activity 6 | Why Reading Is Hard

As a non-native English speaker, I found reading very hard when lacking the vocabulary,

especially at the beginner level, to grasp the meaning of the text fully. Also, when reading out

loud, the pronunciation and intonation of English words don’t directly correspond to the way the

words are spelt out. When learning Spanish, it felt more natural for me to read aloud because I

could pronounce each word even if I didn’t know its meaning. Moreover, reading is hard because

of how sentence structures in different languages reflect unique ways of thinking. Complex

sentences were hard to understand because they required knowledge about style, genre and

modes of writing. Acronyms also require knowledge of the original text they stand for, and this

can be a challenge for first-language learners as well (e.g. first-year students learning BC

acronyms for different schools.

Before watching Why Reading is Hard, I expected to learn about how language learners

make sense of the text’s meaning in their own strategies because this could reflect (or not) the

possible transfer of linguistic skills. I also expected to see the theme of how distinct written

language systems require an understanding of cultural and historical context. For example, the

difference between the traditional and simplified Chinese written language is historical,

socio-cultural, as well as political.

Catherine Snow says that she decided to study Arabic because she wanted to put herself

in the position of an English language learner entering kindergarten or first grade. While her

intention theoretically makes sense, her experience of language learning is very different from

that of a child because of the differences in the motivation of learning, the pace of learning, meta

knowledge and expertise about language learning, and most importantly the difference in
developmental stages that link to brain’s plasticity, tongue muscle & hearing development and

linguistic transfer.

Dr Snow used the example of the pronunciation of K sounds (Kiss vs. Cool) to

demonstrate the difference between children and adults when learning a new language, as well as

highlighting the challenge for second language learners when learning a language without having

exposure to native speakers. She says that “if you are reading words correctly or incorrectly, you

have no way of knowing unless the words are words that are in your vocabulary or words that

make sense to you.” In the video, when Dr Snow taught the audience how to read alphabets

written in different ways when placed in a different order, the words used in her examples (e.g.

cola) were familiar to English speakers, thus it became easier for them to read along even if they

are not familiar with the written form in Arabic.

Finally, I agree that teaching ELL is about good teaching practices and using visuals. In

addition, this needs to be accompanied by a rich and culturally relevant curriculum that explores

the social and cultural dimensions of languages. For example, an illustrated picture book about

how characters or alphabets come from, or how they were graphically designed can help children

understand languages in different written forms through a more tangible method. The act of

physically writing down the characters or alphabet is another useful practice, and it is especially

important when children are getting used to digital devices and typing on a keyboard.