[Editor’s note: This is the first part of our five-part series on the best practices of learning to read and learning to read better.] There’s a long-standing debate about how best to teach children to read, which has led to what is colloquially known as the “reading wars.” On one side of the battle are … Continue reading “The Science of Reading – Part 1: Unlocking Language”
Tag: vocabulary
Stop the Summer Slide Early this Year
As the last of the school bells ring sometime in May or June of every year, kids race out of classes and into a summer they hope will be filled with fun and adventure. Very few think about reading and the need to keep up with their hard-earned skills from the previous academic year. This … Continue reading “Stop the Summer Slide Early this Year”
The Importance of Reading during the Coronavirus Pandemic
We’re all going a little stir-crazy these days, even though we’re only in the early stages of coronavirus lockdown and just learning how best to practice social distancing. We’re being told not to gather in groups larger than 10 people, and that means businesses, movie theaters, restaurants, and even schools and libraries are being shut … Continue reading “The Importance of Reading during the Coronavirus Pandemic”
Should I Be Reading Faster?
This is a question that we, at AceReader, get a lot. There seems to be a general mindset that reading faster always means reading better. But the real question is ‘Am I reading fluently?’ Here’s why. Speed, also known as rate, is the number of words you read in a minute. Most people read the majority … Continue reading “Should I Be Reading Faster?”
Study Skills Part 1 – How to Develop Your Listening Skills
Listening is more than just hearing – it’s a skill, and one that needs to be developed. While we’re constantly surrounded by people speaking (or deaf people signing), we hear/see them but often don’t take the time to stop and pay attention to what’s being said/signed. Effective listening, though, serves as the foundation of strong relationships, … Continue reading “Study Skills Part 1 – How to Develop Your Listening Skills”
The History of Writing and Reading – Part 24: Featural Scripts (part 2 of 3)
[Editor’s note: This is the twenty-fifth of an ongoing series that examines the rise of writing – and therefore reading – around the world. We will be looking at the major developments and forces that shaped the written languages we use today. Links to all the previous posts are listed at the end of this … Continue reading “The History of Writing and Reading – Part 24: Featural Scripts (part 2 of 3)”
The sound of Esperanto
Zamenhof’s initial work on Esperanto, the “Unua Libro,” or “First Book,” was published in 1887. It contained 920 roots from which tens of thousands of words could be formed, along with the Fundamental Grammar, or “Fundamenta Gramatiko,” which listed 16 basic grammatical rules. Zamenhof renounced all rights to Esperanto and encouraged comments and suggestions on the development of the language. In 1905, the first Universal Esperanto Congress (La Unua Universala Esperanto Kongreso) was held at Boulogne-sur-Mer. Six hundred eighty-eight people showed up to discuss their new language in their new language, and at least one convention has been held every year since then, with the exception of the cumulative 10 years of the two World Wars. Conventions remain the major feature of the Esperanto speakers’ social calendar. [3]
Today Esperanto is the most widely used international auxiliary language and is particularly popular in Eastern Europe, China, and Brazil. There are approximately 1,000 native speakers, while 10,000 people can speak it fluently, 100,000 can use it actively, and about 10 million have studied it to some extent. Esperanto literature includes books, magazines, and poetry, with some originally written in Esperanto while others were translated into Esperanto from other languages. Some radio stations broadcast Esperanto news bulletins, and there have been at least four full-length feature films in the language, including the 1966 horror flick “Incubus” starring William Shatner. While definitely an active language, it never caught on to the extent that Zamenhof hoped.
What does Esperanto as a written language look like? Here’s one example:
Ĉiuj homoj naskiĝas liberaj kaj egalaj en digno kaj rajtoj. Ili posedas racion kaj konsciencon, kaj devus konduti unu la alian en spirito en frateco.
Translation
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
(Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights)
Next up: Featural Scripts, Part 2
Citations:
[1] Zender, Marc. (2013). “Writing and Civilization: From Ancient Worlds to Modernity.” The Great Courses Lecture DT2241.
[2] Dean, Sam. (May 29, 2015). How an artificial language from 1887 is finding new life online. Theverge.com. Retrieved from https://www.theverge.com/2015/5/29/8672371/learn-esperanto-language-duolingo-app-origin-history
[3] Ager, Simon. (2018). “Esperanto.” Omniglot.com. Retrieved from https://www.omniglot.com/writing/esperanto.htm
To read Part 1 (Sumerians), click here.
To read Part 2 (Egyptian hieroglyphs), click here.
To read Part 3A (Indo-European languages part 1), click here.
To read Part 3B (Indo-European languages part 2), click here.
To read Part 4 (Rosetta Stone), click here.
To read Part 5 (Chinese writing), click here.
To read Part 6 (Japanese writing), click here.
To read Part 7 (Olmecs), click here.
To read Part 8 (Mayans), click here.
To read Part 9 (Aztecs/Nahuatl), click here.
To read Part 10 (Etruscans), click here.
To read Part 11 (Meroïtic), click here.
To read Part 12 (Runes and Futhark), click here.
To read Part 13 (Musical Notation), click here.
To read Part 14 (Printing, Part 1), click here.
To read Part 15 (Printing, Part 2), click here.
To read Part 16 (Printing, Part 3), click here.
To read Part 17 (Origins of English, Part 1), click here.
To read Part 18 (Origins of English, Part 2), click here.
To read Part 19 (Origins of English part 3), click here.
To read Part 20 (Origins of English, Part 4), click here.
To read Part 21 (Printing and the Digital Age), click here.
To read Part 22 (Music’s Later Developments), click here.
To read Part 23 (Featural Scripts, Part 1), click here.
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Parrots Can Speak, but Can They Read?
Jennifer Cuhna is a lawyer with a bachelor’s degree in psychology; she also served as a research assistant at the University of Florida in a behavioral neuroscience laboratory and spent many years teaching inner-city kids how to read. Those experiences gave her both the inquisitiveness and the expertise to work on a rather unconventional study … Continue reading “Parrots Can Speak, but Can They Read?”
Listening in on the Relationship between Audiobooks and Reading Comprehension
In this day and age of technological everything, the debate about whether people should read on a screen or from a printed page rages on. A less obvious, but equally important, debate centers on whether students should be encouraged to “read” using audiobooks instead of traditional media, especially when they’re doing it outside of a … Continue reading “Listening in on the Relationship between Audiobooks and Reading Comprehension”
Joumana Kalouch – Multilingual Teacher, Writer, and Avid Reader
[Editor’s note: This interview was conducted by Miriam Ruff, and it is the third installment in what will be a series of interviews about the different approaches people take to discover and learn new topics. It was lightly edited for clarity.] MR: We’re talking today with Joumana Kalouch, a multilingual teacher and avid reader, whom … Continue reading “Joumana Kalouch – Multilingual Teacher, Writer, and Avid Reader”
Poverty and the Educational Process – Part 3: Vocabulary and Cognition
[Editor’s note: This is part three of a four-part series on poverty and the educational process. Links to the previous blog posts are included below.] Poverty has a multifaceted impact on both student engagement and student success in the classroom. Last time we looked at Effort and the Growth Mindset. In this post, we are … Continue reading “Poverty and the Educational Process – Part 3: Vocabulary and Cognition”