The role of phonological awareness in early childhood reading in English

Abstract

This article supports the existence of the phonological rule that states, ‘Delete an English word-final /b/ when it occurs after /m/’ in pronouncing English words. Examples that fall within the rule are given. However, the research postulates that the rule is incomplete because /b/ is silent even when it does not come at the end of certain English words. It is proposed that an interface of phonological, morphological and semantic elements influences the pronunciation of these words. The interdependent nature of these properties is such that, where all the elements are present, a change in phonological realities results in a change in meaning, even if morphological members are stable. The findings add fresh evidence to the body of knowledge in support of the role of phonological awareness in early reading acquisition at the level of breaking the reading code.