Can One be More Proficient in L2 than in L1: The Effect of Orthography on the Literacy Skills of Children
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53057/linfo/2023.5.4.5Keywords:
Orthography, reading accuracy, Urdu orthography, orthographic depth, literacy, cursive orthography, multimappingAbstract
The purpose of this study is to assess and compare the reading and writing proficiency in English (L2) and Urdu (L1), and to examine the correlation between these literacy skills in grade 4 students. The findings show that students experience more difficulties with Urdu, their native language, as opposed to English. A significant correlation was identified across key literacy skills, including reading and spelling in both languages. The study emphasizes the need for personalized educational strategies to support children learning languages with unique and complex orthographies. It reinforces the concept of shared cognitive mechanisms that facilitate both L1 and L2 acquisition. The results have important implications for language teachers and educators, suggesting the adoption of specialized strategies to enhance literacy skills. Specifically, there is a call for the development and implementation of effective teaching methodologies to better support students struggling with the complexities of the Urdu orthography.
Downloads
References
Bialystok, E., Luk, G., & Kwan, E. (2005). Bilingualism, biliteracy, and learning to read: interactions among languages and writing systems. Scientific Studies of Reading, 9(1), 43–61. https://doi.org/10.1207/s1532799xssr0901_4
Bosman, A. M. T., & de Groot, A. M. B. (1996). Phonologic mediation is fundamental to reading: Evidence from beginning readers. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 49A, 715-744.
Durgunoğlu, A.Y. (2002). Cross-linguistic transfer in literacy development and implications for language learners. Annals of Dyslexia, 52, 189. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11881-002-0012-y
Durgunoğlu, A.Y., Nagy, W.E., & Hancin-Bhatt, B.J. (1993). Cross language transfer of phonological awareness. Journal of Educational Psychology, 85, 453-465.
Farukh, A., & Vulchanova, M. (2015). L1, quantity of exposure to L2, and reading disability as factors in L2 literacy skills. Usage-Based Perspectives on Second Language Learning, 30, 329-350.
Farukh, A., & Vulchanova, M. (2014). Predictors of reading in Urdu: Does deep orthography have an impact?. Dyslexia, 20(2), 146-166.
Farukh, A., & Vulchanova, M. (Submitted). Reading deficit and word decoding skills in first (L1) and second (L2) language.
Fernandez, L. B., Xheladini, A., & Allen, S. E. (2023). Proficient L2 readers do not have a risky reading strategy. Linguistic Approaches to Bilingualism.
Ganschow, L., Sparks, R. L., & Javorsky, J. (1998). Foreign language learning difficulties: An historical perspective. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 31(3), 248-258.
Gottardo, A., Yan, B., Siegel, L. S., & Wade-Woolley, L. (2001). Factors related to English reading performance in children with Chinese as a first language: More evidence of cross-language transfer of phonological processing. Journal of Educational Psychology, 93(3), 530-542. http://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.93.3.530
Graham, S., Harris, K. R., & Fink, B. (2000). Extra handwriting instruction: Prevent writing difficulties right from the start. Teaching Exceptional Children, 33(2), 88 91. https://doi.org/10.1177/004005990003300215
Havas, V., et al. (2014). "Morphological learning in a novel language: A cross-language comparison." The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology 68(7), 1426-1441.
Helland, T. (2008). Second language assessment in dyslexia: Principles and practice (1st ed.). Great Britain: Cormwell.
Hussain, S. (2004). Letter to sound rules for Urdu text to speech system. Paper presented at the Computational Approaches to Arabic Script-based Languages, Coling 2004, Geneva, Switzerland.
Jiang, X. (2011). The role of first language literacy and second language proficiency in second language reading comprehension. Reading Matrix: An International Online Journal, 11(2).
Kahn-Horwitz, J., Shimron, J., & Sparks, R. L. (2005). Predicting foreign language reading achievement in elementary school students. Reading and Writing, 18(6), 527-558.
Koda, K. (1994). Second language reading research: Problems and possibilities. Applied Psycholinguistics, 15, 1-28.
Koda, K. (2007). Reading and language learning: Cross-linguistic constraints on second language reading development. In K. Koda (Ed.), Reading and language learning (pp. 1–44). (Special issue of) Language Learning Supplement, 57, 1–44.
Luk, G., & Bialystok, E. (2008). Common and distinct cognitive bases for reading in English–Cantonese bilinguals. Applied psycholinguistics, 29(2), 269-289.
McGregor, R. S (1992). Urdu study materials for use with outline of Hindi grammar. New Delhi: Oxford University Press.
Mirdehghan, M. (2010). Persian, Urdu, and Pashto: A comparative orthographic analysis. Writing Systems Research, 2(1).
Mirza, A., Gottardo, A., & Chen, X. (2017). Reading in multilingual learners of Urdu (L1), English (L2) and Arabic (L3). Reading and Writing, 30, 187-207.
Naim, C. M. (1999). Introductory Urdu. Chicago: University of Chicago, Committee on Southern Asia Studies.
Perani, D., & Abutalebi, J. (2005). The neural basis of first and second language processing. Current Opinion in Neurobiology, 15(2), 202-206.
Perfetti, C., & Zhang, S. (1991). Phonological processes in reading Chinese words. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory & Cognition, 17, 633–643.
Perfetti, C., Zhang, S., & Berent, I. (1992). Reading in English and Chinese: Evidence for a universal phonological principle. In R. Frost & L. Katz (Eds.), Orthography, phonology, morphology and meaning (pp. 227–248). Amsterdam: Elsevier Science Publishers.
Rao, C., Vaid, J., Srinivasan, N., & Chen, H. C. (2010). Orthographic characteristics speed Hindi word naming but slow Urdu naming: evidence from Hindi/Urdu biliterates. Reading and Writing, 24(6), 679-695. http://dx.doi:10.1007/s11145-010-9256
Saleem, A. M., Kabir, H., Riaz, M. K., Rafique, M. M., Khalid, N., & Shahid, S. R. (2002). Urdu consonantal and vocalic sounds. Center for Research in Urdu Language Processing, 2012, from http://moffitt24.weebly.com/uploads/1/4/3/9/14396642/cr02_01e.pdf
Schmidt, R. L. (2003). Urdu. In G. Cardona & D. Jain (Eds.), The Indo-Aryan Languages (pp. 286-350). London: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.
Sebastien-Galles, N. (1991). Reading by analogy in a shallow orthography. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 17, 471–477.
Sparks, R.L. (1995). Examining the linguistic coding differences hypothesis to explain individual differences in foreign language learning. Annals of Dyslexia, 45, 187. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02648218
Sparks, R. L., & Ganschow, L. (1991). Foreign language learning differences: Affective or native language aptitude differences?. The Modern Language Journal, 75, 3–16. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4781.1991.tb01076.x
Sparks, R., Patton, J., Ganschow, L. & Humbach, N. (2009). Long-term cross-linguistic transfer of skills from L1 to L2. Language Learning, 59 (1), 203. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9922.2009.00504.x
Treffers-Daller, J. &Calude, A. S. (2015). The role of statistical learning in the acquisition of motion event construal in a second language. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 18(5),602-623.
Treffers-Daller, J. & Xu, Z. (2015). Can classroom learners use statistical learning? A new perspective on motion event construal in a second language. Vigo International Journal of Applied Linguistics.
Verhoeven, L., Perfetti, C., & Pugh, K. (2019). Cross-linguistic perspectives on second language reading. Journal of Neurolinguistics, 50, 1-6.
Vulchanova, M. D., Foyn, C. H., Nilsen, R. A., & Sigmundsson, H. (2014). Links between phonological memory, first language competence and second language competence in 10-year-old children. Learning and Individual Differences, 35, 87-95.
Wade‐Woolley, L. (1999). First language influences on second language word reading: All roads lead to Rome. Language Learning, 49(3), 447-471.
Wang, M., & Koda, K. 2005. Commonalities and differences in word identification skills among English second language learners. Language Learning, 55(1), 77–100.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Prof. Dr. Ammara Farukh, Dr. Behzad Anwar
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
License Terms
All articles published by MARS Publishers are made immediately available worldwide under an open access license. This means:
- everyone has free and unlimited access to the full-text of all articles published in MARS Publishers' journals;
- everyone is free to re-use the published material if proper accreditation/citation of the original publication is given.