Acquisition of orthographic knowledge and phonemic sensitivity are processes that are central to early reading development in several languages. The language-specific characteristics of the alphasyllabaries ( Bright, 1996), however, challenge the constructs of orthographic knowledge and phonemic sensitivity as discussed in the context of…

This paper presents a summary of the decisions made by the members of the Marianas Orthography Committee and contains recommendations and general rules for official and formal adoption into the writing system of the Chamorro language throughout the Mariana Islands. The committee presents the general rules with the hope that they will be followed…

Difficulties in transcription from the Hebrew to the Roman alphabet are discussed. The resolution of some of the problems in Judeo-Spanish texts using the "aljamiado" writing system are reviewed, including the use of some Hebrew consonants as vowels, representation of Judeo-Spanish sounds non-existent in Hebrew, and phonetic variations…

This booklet describes the Urdu writing system, and is part of a series of teaching materials for teaching Urdu. A general introduction outlining the main characteristics of the system is followed by a presentation of the alphabet. Letters symbolizing the same sound are then discussed, followed by the vowels. Non-connectors, or letters not having…

EKTB, a new transliteration scheme for Hebrew based on the historical development of the alphabet, treats Latin characters as graphic variants of Hebrew letters and permits Hebrew to be used with standard equipment while maintaining its traditional writing methodology. (Author/CB)

This text of Yup'ik (a southwestern Alaskan Eskimo language) orthography is intended for individuals wishing to read and write in Yup'ik as a first or second language. The first chapter gives details on the Yup'ik alphabet and contains a pronunciation exercise. Subsequent chapters present information, with exercises, on: vowels; double vowels and…

This dictionary contains lists of nouns in the Deg Xinag or Ingalik language as spoken in the Yukon River villages of Anvik, Shageluk, and Holy Cross, and the Kuskokwim River village of Stony River. After a presentation of the Ingalik alphabet, the nouns, with English equivalents, are listed according to the following categories: mammals; fish;…

The evolution of writing systems of the Aramaic languages is discussed, stressing the importance of looking beyond simple character forms as they occur in space and time to the interaction of scripts with languages, and the interactions of writing systems with minds and civilizations. First, the invention of the alphabet is discussed from a…

This dictionary of Kodiak Alutiiq contains much of the conversational vocabulary of the Kodiak Island dialects. The alphabet is presented with examples in English as a key to pronunciation and with explanations of the sound system. An introduction to the dictionary explains the format and provides examples for each category of word to facilitate…

Two experiments are reported on the array-scanning characteristics of Malaysian subjects exposed to arrays of Roman and Arabic letters. Unique search patterns were found with both letters. Ways are discussed in which these patterns may be related to the underlying linguistic structure of words in Bahasa Malaysia, English, and Arabic. (13…

This dictionary contains lists of nouns in the Holikachuk Athabaskan language as spoken by about twenty people, most of whom live in the village of Grayling, Alaska. The Holikachuk alphabet and sound system are presented. The nouns with English equivalents are listed according to the following categories: animals, fish, insects, birds, plants,…

The writing manual for a course in basic Pashto teaches the Pashto alphabet: the letters, their sounds, their names, and their shapes in various combinations with other letters. Each lesson, designed to take one class hour, consists of a presentation of the material to be learned, exercises using that material, exercises reviewing previously…

This survey of the world's written languages consists of a series of historical sketches of different languages, each including a table of signforms in their standard order and their variations, but focusing primarily on how the sounds of the language are represented in writing. A brief text in the language(s) the script is used for is also…

The relatedness of phonological coding to the articulatory mechanisms in visual word recognition vary in different writing systems. While articulatory suppression (i.e., continuous verbalising during a visual word processing task) has a detrimental effect on the processing of Japanese words printed in regular syllabic Khana script, it has no such…

This manual describes and illustrates the writing system of modern Persian. It is modelled after Frank A. Rice's "Classical Arabic: The Writing System." Five sections concerning the writing system are provided: (1) printed Persian, (2) typewritten Persian, (3) handwritten Persian, (4) the combination of words, and (5) punctuation. (RL)