Does phonological distance impact quality of phonological representations? Evidence from Arabic diglossia

Saiegh–Haddad, Elinor; Haj, Lina

doi:10.1017/s0305000918000302

Cited by 38 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 70 publications

(106 reference statements)

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“…For example, Ibrahim et al (2014) found that 3rd and 4th grade children were slower reading MSA than Hebrew (see also Eviatar & Ibrahim, 2001; Ibrahim, Eviatar, & Aharon Peretz, 2007). Others have likewise shown that problems with phonological‐awareness tasks, short‐term memory tasks and reading and spelling persist in native Arabic‐speaking children throughout primary education (up to the age of 11 years, e.g., Azzam, 1993; Brosh & Attili, 2009; Ibrahim, 2011; Saiegh‐Haddad & Haj, 2018; Saiegh‐Haddad & Schiff, 2016; Schiff & Saiegh‐Haddad, 2018; Taha, 2017), even after those children have presumably attained some degree of fluency with MSA. These difficulties were particularly pronounced in Arabic children with specific language impairment (Saiegh‐Haddad & Ghawi‐Dakwar, 2017) and dyslexia (Schiff & Saiegh‐Haddad, 2017) and can include deficits in semantic and syntactic processing (Khamis‐Dakwar, Froud, & Gordon, 2012; Leikin, Ibrahim, & Eghbaria, 2013).…”

Section: The Arabic Language and Writing Systemmentioning

confidence: 98%

Insights from the study of Arabic reading

Hermena¹,

Reichle

2020

Language and Linguist. Compass

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Current reading models were largely designed to explain findings from experiments of the reading of English and other European languages (Reichle, 2020, Computational models of reading: A handbook). Recent evidence from studies of other languages and writing systems (e.g., Chinese) has demonstrated the need to critically evaluate the assumptions of these models, and whether they are sufficient to explain the full range of findings related to reading, as required, for example, to understand the universal and specific cognitive principles that support reading. In this article, we review the recent behavioural and cognitive-neuroscience research on the reading of Arabic, a world language that until recently has received scant attention despite the fact that its writing system poses fundamental challenges for current models of reading. We also highlight the points of convergence and difference between what has been learned about the reading of Arabic and the reading of another, more widely studied Semitic language, Hebrew. We then discuss the theoretical implications of these findings for existing models of reading. 1 | INTRODUCTION Computational models of reading have been primarily designed to explain empirical findings obtained from studying the reading of English and other European languages (Rayner &

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Section: The Arabic Language and Writing Systemmentioning

confidence: 98%

Insights from the study of Arabic reading

Hermena¹,

Reichle

2020

Language and Linguist. Compass

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“…Formal and direct exposure to literary Arabic occurs in parallel to the initial acquisition of reading and writing when the child begins school (Makhoul et al, 2015;Schiff & Saiegh-Haddad, 2018). However, young preschoolers are exposed to literary Arabic, usually indirectly, mainly through stories, songs, rhymes, TV programs, and printed matter at home (books, computer keyboards) and in public spaces (e.g., advertisement boards; Khamis-Dakwar, 2007;Leikin et al, 2014;Saiegh-Haddad & Everatt, 2017). This exposure to MSA has been suggested to be poor both in quality and quantity (Saiegh-Haddad, 2003.…”

Section: Potential Benefits For Early Exposure To Oral Languagementioning

confidence: 99%

“…This exposure to MSA has been suggested to be poor both in quality and quantity (Saiegh-Haddad, 2003. In the Israeli preschool (ages 3 to 6) curriculum (Ministry of Education, 2008), the starting point for developing basic literacy skills in Arabic is the spoken language (Saiegh-Haddad & Everatt, 2017). The implementation of MSA is not mandatory, and it is mainly recommended in the context of practical activities aimed to introduce and practice letter naming in MSA.…”

Section: Potential Benefits For Early Exposure To Oral Languagementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The results of the current study are consistent with more recent studies showing the effectiveness of recitation in the mastery of "deep" linguistic abilities (Baleghizadeh & Dargahi, 2010;Flores-Saldana, 2016;Noll, 2003). One would argue that recitation is akin to the practice of reading and spelling, practice of which can generate deep processing and result in a deeper understanding of language forms (Abu-Rabia, 2007;Saiegh-Haddad & Geva, 2008).…”

Section: A Place For Recitation In Educational Practicementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Moreover, a study (Levin et al, 2008) of kindergarteners who received extra activities including practicing the letter’s names in MSA, resulted in a substantial progress in letter knowledge of the standard names, as well as alphabetic and phonological awareness of the kindergarteners, whereas a comparison group hardly progressed throughout the year. Therefore, it has been advocated that early and systematic oral exposure to MSA, prior to school, may facilitate the acquisition of reading and writing abilities in early school years (e.g., Asadi, 2019; Leikin et al, 2014; Saiegh-Haddad, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2011; Saiegh-Haddad & Haj, 2018; Saiegh-Haddad et al, 2011).…”

Section: Diglossia and Literacy Acquisition In Arabicmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Long-term benefits after a rhyme-repetition based intervention program for kindergarteners: Better reading and spelling in the first grade.

Eghbaria-Ghanamah¹,

Ghanamah²,

Shalhoub‐Awwad³

et al. 2022

Developmental Psychology

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Oral language proficiency in kindergarten can facilitate the acquisition of reading and writing. However, in diglossic languages, like Arabic, the large gap between the spoken and the formal, modern standard (MSA) varieties of the language may restrict the benefits of oral language proficiency to subsequent literacy skills. Here, we tested, in a randomized controlled study, whether an intervention program, implemented in kindergarten, that familiarized the children with rhymes presented in MSA through recitation, facilitated reading and spelling in first grade. We also tested whether engaging the children in recitation affords an advantage over repeated listening by itself and whether rhymes directly referring to the alphabet impart additional advantages. The children were assigned to one of four intervention conditions (10 sessions, 2 months) wherein they either recited or repeatedly listened to nursery rhymes that were either related or unrelated to the alphabet, or engaged in nonlinguistic activities (control). A year later, all intervention groups read faster compared to a control group (nonlinguistic activity). The two recitation groups gained in reading accuracy, reading efficiency, and spelling; spelling gains were found also in children who only listened to alphabet-related rhymes. The reciting groups were superior to the listening groups in all study measures (reading and spelling). The results suggest long-term contributions from structured interventions based on oral rhyme repetition, in kindergarten, to reading and spelling in first grade. Vocal recitations in kindergarten can benefit the mastering of literacy skills even in a language that differs from the one spoken in the child's home.

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Diglossic and Orthographic Features of Reading Comprehension in Standard Arabic: The Primacy of the Spoken Language

Saiegh‐Haddad,

Schiff

2024

Reading Research Quarterly

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This study investigates the role of diglossic and orthographic features in reading comprehension in Arabic. Specifically, it probes the independent contribution of language, metalinguistic, and decoding skills in the spoken language and in Standard Arabic to reading comprehension in the abjad writing system of Arabic. A sample of 112 Palestinian Arabic native‐speaking third graders (mean age = 108.31 months) were tested on receptive vocabulary, phonological awareness, morphological awareness, and word decoding independently in the spoken language and in the standard. Listening comprehension and reading comprehension in the standard were also tested, along with cognitive factors. Regression analysis showed that morphological awareness, receptive vocabulary and decoding accuracy and fluency in the spoken language predicted unique variance in reading comprehension in the standard beyond cognitive ability, with morphological awareness emerging as the strongest predictor. Only decoding accuracy in the standard predicted unique variance in reading comprehension beyond spoken language skills. Listening comprehension entered in the last block contributed a small unique variance. The results underscore the contribution of lexical, metalinguistic, and decoding skills for words within the spoken language to reading comprehension in Standard Arabic. Moreover, they underscore the unique contribution of morphological skills to reading comprehension in the Arabic abjad writing system. The results imply that not all of the reading comprehension difficulties that Arabic‐speaking children encounter are related to linguistic distance. Rather, some difficulties are grounded in difficulties with basic language, metalinguistic, and decoding skills for words within their spoken vernacular. The implications of these findings for literacy education in Arabic diglossia are discussed.

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Does phonological distance impact quality of phonological representations? Evidence from Arabic diglossia

Cited by 38 publications

References 70 publications

Insights from the study of Arabic reading

Insights from the study of Arabic reading

Long-term benefits after a rhyme-repetition based intervention program for kindergarteners: Better reading and spelling in the first grade.

Diglossic and Orthographic Features of Reading Comprehension in Standard Arabic: The Primacy of the Spoken Language

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