Did you know that with phonics the spelling rules and platypus words make sense to a child?
But there are questions, you say. What about the fact that not all words can be read using the phonics rules? Actually, about 80% of English words are phonetic, if you know the rules. Proper phonics instruction would be the key, here. Also, when words are sounded out phonetically, they are close to the right word, but just sound like someone speaking with an accent. It is really easy for a child to hear herself say it the wrong way and quickly know the right way. Children’s minds make these wonderful leaps that aren’t possible with guessing at sight-words.
What about the fact that the English language is neither intuitive, natural, nor phonetic in spelling? Not true. Those that don’t think the English language is mostly phonetic must have been taught with a lot of sight-reading or the inability to see root words and languages. It is really easy to see that ‘said’ was originally the past-tense of ‘say’, therefore written and spoken as ‘sayed.’ It’s easy to see that ‘sayed’ could have slipped into ‘said’ when spelled phonetically. Then over the years, we grew lazy and pronounced it ‘sed.’ American English has changed the pronunciation of British English with such relaxations in many words. See Platypus Words in Vol. 4 & 5 of It's Not Rocket Surgery!
Continuing with the knowledge that almost any child can become much more intelligent with the proper phonics method early in life, let’s discuss irregular spellings.
Sounding-out words phonetically helps children remember how to spell them. When I was learning to spell, I would say a word the way it looked first, then I could remember how to spell it. For instance, the word ‘bicycle’ is really two (bi) wheels (things that rotate in a cycle). Even though we pronounce the word as ‘bi-sickle,’ saying it out loud as ‘bi-cycle’ helps one remember how to spell it and WHY. If a child heard you say ‘bi-cycle,’ she would immediately know it was a ‘bi-sickle.’
As for my youngest son, he has an individual temperament of perfectionism (OCD) that many children may not have. However, most children have their self-esteem deeply shaken by the constant guessing game in whole-language sight-reading. Despite his OCD, if my son sounded-out ‘great’ as ‘greet’, or ‘beard’ as ‘bird’ (rhymes with "heard" right?), he wouldn’t fall to pieces nor lose his confidence. Proper phonics instruction has taught him the rules of ‘ea’ combinations having three possible sounds.
Once the WHY is known, it is much easier to remember which words use which sounds for the spelling. It is also easier to learn to spell which homonym has ‘ea’, and which has ‘ee’ by saying them strictly phonetically on purpose. Looking for "context and meaning" should only be done after the letter sounds (and later- diphthongs & blends) are understood first.
What about the fact that, at some point, we have to confront irregular spellings and words that are so common in our language? The other thing proper phonics instruction does is to help a child look for the root words within the prefixes and suffixes. I show my children how strange spellings have a root from another language. Then it is easy to learn which of our words have a German, French, Spanish, or another origin. It becomes a game and a fun puzzle to see common German spellings or French spellings, or whichever. For example, once a child knows that ‘eau’ is usually a French spelling for the long ‘o’ sound, it makes sense (beau, bureau). Or that the German sound for ‘ei’ is the long ‘i’ sound (stein), not the long ‘a’ sound (weigh) we commonly use.
Children also understand the idea of platypus words, or those that “don’t follow the rules.” The platypus animal does not follow the rules of taxonomy (is it a bird or a mammal?). But pronouncing a word phonetically still makes it easier to spell and remember. The connection between the sounds of the letters and the accepted pronunciation make a sensible link in the child’s mind that sight-reading does not.
For example, why do we say ‘was’ like ‘wuz’? I would tell my child to say ‘wass’ first, then explain we’ve become lazy and say ‘wuz’ now. I would also have my child look for other words where the letter ‘a’ sounds like the short ‘u’ (above, around, among, etc.) and for words where the letter ‘s’ sounds like a ‘z’ (surprise, uses, busy, etc.). Phonics rules allow for alternate sounds, teach those sounds, and help a child recognize their use.
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