Written Language Is as Natural as Spoken Language: A Biolinguistic Perspective

Autor/inn/en	Aaron, P. G.; Joshi, R. Malatesha
Titel	Written Language Is as Natural as Spoken Language: A Biolinguistic Perspective
Quelle	In: Reading Psychology, 27 (2006) 4, S.263-311 (49 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0270-2711
Schlagwörter	Speech; Reading Skills; Oral Language; Literacy; Written Language; Standard Spoken Usage; Diachronic Linguistics; Environmental Influences; Syntax; Morphemes; Phonology; Evolution; Orthographic Symbols + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Speaking; Sprechen; Reading skill; Lesefertigkeit; Oral interpretation; Mündlicher Sprachgebrauch; Alphabetisierung; Schreib- und Lesefähigkeit; Geschriebene Sprache; Gesprochene Sprache; Umgangssprache; Linguistics; Diachronische Sprachbetrachtung; Historische Linguistik; Environmental influence; Umwelteinfluss; Morphem; Fonologie
Abstract	A commonly held belief is that language is an aspect of the biological system since the capacity to acquire language is innate and evolved along Darwinian lines. Written language, on the other hand, is thought to be an artifact and a surrogate of speech; it is, therefore, neither natural nor biological. This disparaging view of written language, even though propounded by some renowned linguists and biologists, has not gained universal acceptance. Dissenters such as linguists from the Prague circle who claim that written language is an independent system that deserves a status equivalent to that of spoken language have developed their argument along linguistic parameters. The present article also endeavors to show that written language is as natural as spoken language but does so from a biolinguistic perspective. Biolinguistics defines language as a product of biological adaptation in the Darwinian sense (Givon, 2002) and considers language to be innate and species specific (Jenkins, 2000). The present article presents evidence to show that, similar to spoken language, written language has adaptive value, evolved over time, and is relatively independent of spoken language. The Egyptian hieroglyphic writing, which has a history of about 4,000 years, is used for examining the proposition that written language evolved along Darwinian lines "as much as" spoken language did. It is concluded that written language is yet another manifestation of the natural endowment of the human mind and may not be treated as a proxy for speech. The educational implication is that, in literacy instruction, written language should be given as much importance in today's schools as elements of spoken language, such as phoneme awareness and phonological awareness. (Contains 1 figure.) (Author).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10