Phonological path: characteristics and functioning in reading

Within the dual path model we find two pathways that are believed to be used when we read: the lexical path and the phonological path. The lexical route is the most used when we have advanced reading skills and the words that we already see we knew them, while the phonological is used when you are still learning to read and before words unknown.

Given the importance that the phonological route acquires in the first moments of learning to read, any problem that may arise in it represents an important handicap in the learning of any subject in the school environment. Next we will take a closer look at this second route and assess its importance.

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The phonological path within the double path model

Throughout the history of cognitive psychology, specifically the psychology of reading, has tried to identify and understand which are the cognitive processes involved in the literacy. The reason for this does not respond only to wanting to expand knowledge but also to guide it to meet the needs and

possible difficulties in the acquisition of reading and writing of school-age boys and girls. Having trouble reading is synonymous with having trouble learning.

Within the cognitive perspective we find that there are various methods to learn to read. There are alphabetic methods, oriented on the pronunciation of letters, phonemes and syllables, while there are other methods more than global type, which focus on learning to pronounce the words and say the sentences in their entirety as a first contact with the reading. These methods are useful depending on the language, being the alphabetic most appropriate for transparent languages ​​such as Spanish or Italian, while the latter are for languages ​​that are not read as they are written, such as English or Italian. Gaelic.

It was as a result of the existence of these two types of reading acquisition methods that the double path model emerged.. As its name suggests, it is a theory that supports the existence of two routes involved in reading: the lexical route and the phonological route. Next we are going to talk briefly about the lexical path to understand what the phonological path is about and why what is so important in acquiring the reading of languages ​​that are read as they are written, as is our case.

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The lexical route

The lexical or visual path is that way of reading through which we read the words in their entirety, without the need to decompose them letter by letter or syllable by syllable. This path is also called direct because the reader uses it to directly access the meaning of the word stored in the MLP (long term memory) when the word in question is known. This particular identification process is called addressed phonology and is very similar to the one we use to identify any visual stimulus.

All people who have already acquired the ability to read have a mental or visual lexicon, in the which are the representations of the words that are part of our vocabulary, but not their meaning. According to the model, when we read through the lexical path, what we do is compare the form of the word that we have in front of others that are familiar to us and we use frequently, such as "table", "chair", "dad", "car" or "ball".

To obtain the meaning of the word in question, it is necessary to access its semantic component. In the lexical way, phonology is not used in the identification of the word, since the orthographic representation is considered as sufficient to activate the lexical entry directly when dealing with a word that is already being used acquainted. In other words, When we know the word very well and we already have it stored in our memory, we do not read it completely, but the representation associated with it is directly activated.

Thus, reading through the lexical route involves the following phases:

• Visual analysis of the written word: globally process the word.
• Word recognition: look for relationships and match the word with those already stored in our visual lexicon.
• Association of the word with existing meanings in the semantic system.
• Oral production of the word (pronounce it)

It is this route that explains why when we read fast and pay little attention we commit mistakes such as substituting words that are similar, such as "nightgown" for "song" or "bed" for "cana". When this route is damaged, it happens that the person, despite knowing the word in front of him, has to resort to the phonological path, reading letter by letter such as "m-e-s-a".

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The phonological path

The phonological or indirect route It is the one we use during the grapheme-phoneme conversion process, that is, when the letters are identified and transformed into separate sounds. The reason why this route is called phonological is because a process of phonological recoding is carried out, that is, we we focus on the sounds (phonemes) of each of the letters (graphemes) that make up the written word (conversion rules grapheme-phoneme).

It is the first route used during the acquisition of reading in languages ​​such as Spanish and Italian, because the Boys and girls are still acquiring literacy and, to learn to read, they are first taught letter sounds by separated. However, it is not a route for exclusive use by schoolchildren, but is used at any age when we are faced with an unknown word, very long, invented or from another language. If we do not have a representation for that word stored in our MLP, we cannot recognize it globally and we read it letter by letter.

So that, the main characteristic of the phonological reading route is the identification of the letters that make up a word, subsequently accompanied by the transformation into sounds to recognize the written word audibly. In this process, use is made of the MDT (working memory) and the spoken words are stored in a component of this type of memory: the phonological loop, the system in charge of temporarily preserving the encoded material verbally.

Phases of the phonological path

The phonological path is longer than the lexical one, involving many more steps which are the following.

1. Visual analysis

Unlike the lexical path, in the phonological the word is not analyzed globally, but rather focuses on each of its letters and syllables, processing the word little by little.

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2. Identification of letters

Once the letters that make up the word have been analyzed, the next step is to identify them by looking for them in our memory. In other words, in the word "table" what the student does is detect that it is composed of the letters "m", "e", "s" and "a", symbols that sound familiar or remember having learned.

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3. Phoneme assignment and articulation

The assignment of phonemes and articulation implies applying the rules of grapheme-phoneme conversion and their articulation. That is to say, involves transforming the symbol into a sound and pronouncing it. In this step the student would pronounce the letters of the word "table" separately such that: / m /, / e /, / s / and / a /

4. Auditory analysis

By orally pronouncing the chain of phonemes we hear what we are saying, we perform an auditory analysis of sound stimuli and understand how it is pronounced globally. In this case, the student would repeat the word this time in syllables or complete: / me-sa / o / mésa /

5. Understanding the meaning

Finally, the last step when using the phonological path is to recognize what we have pronounced, allowing us to access the meanings that we have stored in our semantic system. Here the schoolboy, once he would have said / table / would know that he has said the word "table", understanding it as "four-legged object on which things are placed."

It is important to comment that, especially in children who still do not know some reading rules (p. eg, c + e, i = / ze, / se / y / zi, / si /; g + e, i = / je / y / ji /), mistakes will be made such as reading “heaven” by / kielo / or “people” by / guente /. These rulings are totally normal, since as they have not yet entered certain exceptions of the language will read the words as they have learned to read each of the letters that make them up, letter a lyrics.

Learning disabilities and phonological pathway

Since the phonological pathway is essential in the early stages of learning to read, any problems in it will lead to learning problems in general. Not being able to apply the grapheme-phoneme rules means that the child is practically incapable of reading in written form and, therefore, any task associated with the academic field is particularly complicated for him.

Schoolchildren who have reading difficulties usually show the following problems.

• Slow reading rhythm.
• Excessive syllabification.
• Segmentation of words into letters or syllables.
• Little or no reading comprehension.
• Inappropriate reading for their school or chronological age.
• Reading of words marking the stressed syllable where it does not belong.
• Inadequate pronunciation and intonation.
• Excessive finger tracking of letters.