RICK PEDLEY spoke of The unreal story 2 to DAN TRIPLETT on 08-26-96
RP>-=> Quoting Dan Triplett to Rick Pedley <=-
RP> RP>But 26 letters and 42 phonemes should be a snap compared with
RP> RP>what most Chinese kids have to learn! Even all the exceptions to
RP> RP>the rules in English could be easily memorized, and _were_ when I
RP> RP>was a kid. The whole system has gone wimpy.
RP> DT> I don't understand how what Chinese children have to learn is a
RP> DT> reasonable argument regarding anything concerning American
RP> DT> education. I  think you may be referring to the number of
RP> DT> Chinese symbols that need to be learned vrs the few in America.
RP> DT> The comparison you offer cannot be  regarded as proof for your
RP> DT> argument that American children *should* be  able to learn to
RP> DT> read in a snap.  Chinese writing is vastly different  than
RP> DT> English.  I'm not sure an adequate comparison can be made.
RP>You're absolutely right, there IS no comparison!
You seem to have made one earlier....am I to understand now that you 
have changed you position?  
RP> DT> You say that when you were a kid that
RP> DT> children memorized in a *snap* all the sounds, all the blends,
RP> DT> all the exceptions, and that since then (since you went to
RP> DT> school) the system has detoriated (gone wimpy) to a point where
RP> DT> children are not being taught to read.  Again not true.
RP>You're taking that out of context with the first sentence above; I
RP>mean of course, in comparison with what the average Chinese must
RP>memorize, 5,000 ideograms.
If something is difficult to learn (like reading is for some children) 
it is not made easier by the fact that Chinese children must memorize 
some 50000 ideograms.
RP> DT> I am also inferring that you suggest that this lack of learning
RP> DT> to read  is not a soceital issue; it is merely an educational
RP> DT> one. Teachers  aren't doing their job -- the system is failing.
RP> DT> I don't agree.
RP>You can infer all you like, it don't mean squat. Your definition of
RP>"infer" appears to mean "putting words in my mouth" and I resent
RP>that.  
Sorry, I was being defensive...
RP> DT> I will write more about this next time if you need additional
RP> DT> information to help you see that for _many_ children learning to
RP> DT> do anything, including and perhaps especially reading, is
RP> DT> anything but a *snap.*
RP>Thank you very much, but I think you've given me enough
RP>"information". Please continue with your crusade.
I'm not really on a crusade....just dialoguing.  I am not against 
traditional teaching methods either.  I use many "traditional" 
techniques in my teaching.  Many of these techniques are perfectly 
compatible with a whole language philosophy.  On the WL continuum, I'm 
not at the far right.
Dan
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