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Spelling problemse in Danish Juul, Holger Publication date: 2004 Citation for published version (APA): Juul, H. (2004). Spelling problemse in Danish. Download date: 02. okt.. 2021 HOLGER JUUL Spelling Problemse in Danish Revised version, July 2004 PhD Dissertation Department of Scandinavian Research University of Copenhagen Supervisors: Inge Lise Pedersen & Carsten Elbro Committee: Peter Molbæk Hansen, Karin Landerl & Pieter Reitsma Contents 3 Contents Resume af afhandlingen / Abstract 5 List of studies 7 Introduction to the dissertation 9 On spelling problems in general - and in Danish 10 - The main hypotheses 15 - Methodological considerations 18 - Summaries of the studies 22 - Perspectives 26 - References 31 Study 1: Orthography as a handicap? A direct comparison of spelling acquisition in Danish and Icelandic 35 Abstract 36 - Introduction 37 - Method 43 - Results 46 - Discussion 50 - Acknowledgements 53 - References 53 Study 2: Knowledge of context sensitive spellings as a component of spelling competence: Evidence from Danish 57 Abstract 58 - Introduction 59 - Method 65 - Results 68 - Discussion 70 - Acknowledgements 74 - References 74 - Appendix 77 Study 3: Phonemic quantity awareness and the consonant doublet problem 79 Abstract 80 - Introduction 81 - Experiment 1 85 - Method 86 - Results 89 - Discussion 91 - Experiment 2 92 - Method 95 - Results 99 - Discussion 102 - General discussion 105 - Acknowledgements 106 - References 107 - Appendices 110 Study 4: The links between grammar and spelling: A cognitive hurdle in deep orthographies? 117 Abstract 118 - Introduction 119 - Method 126 - Results 131 - Discussion 136 - Conclusion 140 - Acknowledgements 141 - References 141 - Appendices 145 Study 5: Grammatical awareness and the spelling of inflectional morphemes in Danish 147 Abstract 148 - Introduction 149 - Method 154 - Results 157 - Discussion 163 - Acknowledgements 167 - References 167 - Appendices 170 Credits 176 Resume / Abstract 5 Resume af afhandlingen Afhandlingen beskriver udvalgte staveproblemer hos danske børn. Et af formålene var at undersøge hvordan staveudviklingen påvirkes af det forhold at dansk er en ‘dyb’ ortografi, hvor stavemåder ikke altid kan forudsiges ud fra den enkelte lyd. Resultaterne viser at danske børn har betydelige problemer med uforudsigelige stavemåder - det gælder både ordspecifikke stavemåder, stavemåder der afhænger af den lydlige sammenhæng (fx brugen af fordoblet konsonant efter kort vokal) og grammatisk bestemte stavemåder (fx nutidsverber på -rer). Tilmed helt forudsigelige stavemåder (konsonantgrupper) lader til at give særlige problemer i dansk. Et andet formål var at undersøge sammenhængen mellem sproglig opmærksomhed og stavefærdigheder hos større børn. Der viste sig klare sammenhænge mellem opmærksomhed på vokallængde og hyppigheden af fordoblingsfejl og mellem opmærksomhed på grammatiske kategorier og hyppigheden af grammatiske stavefejl. Sproglig opmærksomhed ser ud til også hos større børn at være afgørende for udviklingen af stavefærdighed. Samlet set peger afhandlingen på at det er vigtigt at skelne mellem staveproblemer på forskellige sproglige niveauer hvis man skal hjælpe børn med at overvinde de særlige vanskeligheder i dansk ortografi. Abstract The dissertation describes selected spelling problems in Danish children. One purpose was to examine how the development of spelling competence is influenced by the fact that Danish is a ‘deep’ orthography where spellings are not always predictable from isolated sound segments. The results indicate that Danish children have considerable problems with unpredictable spellings - both with respect to word- specific spellings, spellings that are sensitive to the phonological context (e.g. the use of consonant doublets after short vowels) and grammatically defined spellings (e.g. present tense verbs in -rer). Even entirely predictable spellings (consonant clusters) seem to be a source specific problems in Danish. A second purpose was to examine the relation between linguistic awareness and spelling skills in older children. Strong links were found between awareness of vowel quantity and the frequency of doubling errors and between awareness of grammatical categories and the frequency of grammatical spelling errors. Linguistic awareness appears to be essential even to the spelling development of older children. Overall, the dissertation suggests that it is important to distinguish between spelling problems at different linguistic levels in order to help children to overcome the specific difficulties of Danish orthography. List of studies 7 List of studies Study 1 HOLGER JUUL & BALDUR SIGURÐSSON Orthography as a handicap? A direct comparison of spelling acquisition in Danish and Icelandic. Manuscript to appear in Scandinavian Journal of Psychology Study 2 HOLGER JUUL Knowledge of context sensitive spellings as a component of spelling competence: Evidence from Danish. Manuscript to appear in Applied Psycholinguistics Study 3 HOLGER JUUL Phonemic quantity awareness and the consonant doublet problem. Manuscript submitted for publication Study 4 HOLGER JUUL & CARSTEN ELBRO The links between grammar and spelling: A cognitive hurdle in deep orthographies? Manuscript to appear in Reading & Writing: An Interdisciplinary Journal Study 5 HOLGER JUUL Grammatical awareness and the spelling of inflectional morphemes in Danish. Manuscript to appear in International Journal of Applied Linguistics Introduction 9 Introduction to the dissertation The present dissertation consists of five studies which deal with spelling problems* in Danish. The dissertation addresses two main hypotheses: 1) The acquisition of spelling competence in Danish is difficult because Danish is a ‘deep’ orthography. 2) Some of the most persistent spelling problems in Danish are associated with a lack of linguistic awareness. The five studies are intended as a contribution to the field of applied linguistics and, more specifically, to the field of reading research (which includes research on spelling). In a recent paper Keith Stanovich (2003) described a style of science which characterises many leading reading researchers. In their attempt to understand the psychological processes that underlie the act of reading (and spelling), says Stanovich, these researchers are biased towards analytic reductionism rather than holism, and they are concerned with probablistic predictions and explanations rather than with individual cases. This is very much the style of science that I try to do! I do not intend to describe all aspects of the lives of the children studied which may in one way or another affect their development of spelling competence. And I am not trying to understand each and every spelling error in each and every participant in the studies presented. I am merely trying to find out whether it is likely that the development of spelling competence is affected by the specific nature of Danish orthography. And I am trying to find out whether it is likely that linguistic awareness in an individual is associated with his/her development of spelling competence. This is not to deny the complexity of the children and their environments. As Stanovich puts it, “the analytic stance is a calculated gamble.” Stanovich also points out a gap between the goals of researchers and the goals of teachers. Teachers have a natural desire to help every child in their class- room. Probablistic answers may seem inadequate if you want to know why one particular child finds it hard to spell, or if you want to know what caused some particular spelling error. It is an important point, however, that this inadequacy does not mean that probablistic answers are wrong, or that they cannot be helpful in * The misspelling problemse in the title of the dissertation is inspired by Kemp and Bryant’s (2003) paper on the plural –s problem in English. 10 Introduction deciding how to tackle the problems of teaching spelling. The present dissertation does not have an answer to everything one might want to know about spelling in Danish - very far from, I am afraid! - and it has little to say about the effects of specific teaching methods on spelling development. However, the findings presented do have some important implications for the teaching of spelling. I return to this issue in the perspectives section of this introduction. Below, I first specify my definitions of spelling and spelling problems. These definitions are based on considerations of the general nature of writing systems. The nature of Danish orthography in particular is discussed in order to approach the range of spelling problems one can expect to find in Danish spellers. Then, in the sections that follow, I present the main hypotheses in more detail as well as the methods used to test them. Finally, summaries of the five studies and a discussion of the perspectives of the findings are provided. On spelling problems in general - and in Danish Writing as a representation of spoken language Being able to spell is to be able to represent spoken language by written symbols in a conventional way. This is the definition of spelling competence on which the present dissertation is based. ‘Spelling problems’ will be defined accordingly as problems with the use of conventional representations of spoken language. On this definition, written language is secondary to spoken language. There are other ways of approaching written language, of course. It is perfectly legitimate to describe writing systems as semiotic systems in their own right, without reference