From Spelling to Sound: English Graphematics as an Aid to Vocabulary Acquisition

Abstract

The advanced learner of a foreign language probably acquires most of his/her vocabulary through reading, particularly if he/she does not reside in a country where that language is spoken. The acquisition of signifiés is in itself a formidable task, but a lexeme cannot be considered as acquired until both its graphic and phonetic signifiants are stored correctly. In the case of English, the learner runs a serious risk of storing erroneous pronunciations for words encountered in writing, as he/she cannot possibly look up all these words in a pronouncing dictionary. Even very frequent words are widely mispronounced: French university students of English, for instance, will often be heard stressing begin on the first syllable and promise on the second with a diphthong [aj] for that syllable. This article will present the essentials of English graphematics as they should be mastered by advanced learners and then discuss some relevant pedagogical issues.