English: It's Complicated

I know I mentioned in September's round up that Luke's reading is getting better, though it still has a long way to go before I would count it as true reading (meaning he can pick up most anything simple and read it).

For those of you in the midst of teaching your kids what sounds the letters make, please be very careful! Make sure you are giving only the pure sound, not a "syllable." It's hard to explain, but we're having a hard time undoing some of what we and his Pre-K teachers taught him.

For example, only make the popping noise with your lips for the letter P. Don't make it sound like "puh" (rhymes with duh). Same with L; make the LLL sound only, no vowel sound. Don't make it sound like "luh" or "lah." Otherwise your child will try to sound out words like this (equal emphasis on each "sound", three syllables each):

sleep = suh-lee-puh
help = heh-luh-puh

Ask me how I know! ::sigh:: Of course, when they do start learning the pronunciation "rules," it still causes trouble. Take the diphthong "oo", for example. I'm sure he's been learning that it should sound like tool or spool. But then in the reading homework, we ran across the word "look." So how does he pronounce it? Look = Luke! Hard to argue, no? This English stuff is really hard!

And yes, I do know the word diphthong off the top of my head. I learned it in my father's Greek or Hebrew class (can't remember which) that I had to attend one time with him at seminary. I was 7-ish, I think. Funny the kinds of things that stick with you for years for no good reason! LOL

Currently feeling: trying to be patient; it's not his fault