The English language came together as an amalgamation of a few different languages. However, it has around 40 sounds which are represented by only 26 letters. So in the English language, one sound does not always correspond to one letter.
So how can we decode a word in the English language? The Alphabetical Phonetics is a system where each alphabet is associated with a particular English sound. Alphabetical phonetics is a great foundation for learning how to pronounce a certain word in English. Knowing and understanding phonetics helps improve pronunciation and add confidence when talking. Through phonetics, language can be broken up in chunks of sounds. Chunks of sound are then blended together to form the sound of the word being read.
So why is alphabetical phonetics so important? To become good readers or for correct pronunciation knowledge of sound-spelling relationships is important. This sound-spelling relationship, in other words, is called alphabetical phonics. Therefore, alphabetical phonetics plays a crucial role in helping students of English language understand what is being said. It helps student decode words. Also, awareness of alphabetical phonetics improves spelling ability. Once students know the letter sound they can piece together the word from it.
Reading fluency is a cycle of decoding words which then helps with word recognition, this, in turn, improves reading fluency. Reading fluency then helps with quicker reading comprehension because the student is no longer struggling with reading the word. This means they can concentrate on understanding the meaning of the text.
However, not all words are spelt phonetically. Many words in the English language are not spelt as per alphabetical phonetics. Since all words are not spelt the way they sound, it can be frustrating for new learners of the language who rely on the alphabetical phonetic approach while reading. There is a huge list of exception to the phonetical style of reading. There is no recourse but to memorise how to read these words.
However, the alphabetical phonetic strategy gives new learners of the English language a system to use when facing difficult and unfamiliar words. This helps build their confidence in learning a new language. Before new students learn to recognise sight words they can use Alphabetical phonetics as an approach to slowly sound out the words they are reading. Having a methodical approach to learning to read a new language takes makes the task seem more manageable and doable.
