Reading

CHAPTER 5 // by //// William Grabe //
 * // Reading in a Second Language //**


 * Different Purposes for Reading**

Different people read for different purposes, and these different purposes require different reading skills. The most common purpose for reading is //reading for general understanding//. This type of reading requires rich vocabulary, 'a rapid overall reading speed, automaticity of word recognition for most of the words in the text', and other skills. (Grabe, n.d.). People also read //to find specific information//. And this phenomenon is called scanning. In this case people read to find some specific words and expressions, numbers, etc. Another purpose of reading is //to learn//. This type of reading requires 'awareness of many of the details of the text and a strong organizing frame in which to relate the various meanings of the text' (Grabe, n.d.)//.// // Reading //// to critique and evaluate // is another purpose. Reading for this purpose includes the reader's reflections, comments, attitudes, as well as his/her own knowledge of the topic.

**A Definition of Reading**
Reading is the ability to understand written text. It is necessary to combine the skills and abilities in order to understand L2 reading. There are five abilities which are seen as definitional. First, //fluent reading is a rapid reading// by its definition. Rapid reading is seen as a process where both the text and the reader’s //background knowledge should be integrated// for understanding. Second, //reading is an interactive process// which requires many skills and abilities from which some are automatic and some- attentional. It the level of comprehension process is higher it requires more interaction of textual information and reader’s knowledge. Third, //reading is strategic and flexible// where the reader finds out if the reading material is //useful//. In any case a reader should look for different processing and monitoring activities. Forth, //reading is purposeful// because the readers assess the //efficiency// of processing and whether the activity is interesting to continue. Fifth, //reading is a linguistic process// which allows the readers to //gain new ideas// by interacting with the by means of linguistic processing. It is worth mentioning that this view is put forward by the fluent readers who cannot clearly identify the difficulties that a beginning reader can face with texts.


 * How Reading Works: **
 * Individual Processes in Reading **

Fluent reading requires cognitive processing and for this two types of processing are required: lower level processing and higher level processing. Within lower level processing readers should be quick and automatic at recognizing words and they also should try to assemble clause-level information. Within higher level processing readers should assemble clause level information into a text model. In this level they should make inferences to see whether they are on the right way and achieving their reading purposes. In reading word recognition, syntax and semantics of clauses also play an important role.

**Social Factors That Influence Reading**

Learning how to read is an individual and unique process which occurs in a very different way. The “cognitive activity” starts when the reader is engaged with the reading materials, but then the processes are developing and then being realized by “social influence on reading development”. There are social factors which influence the reading process such as: the school, other students, teacher-student interactions, home and etc. Much research proves that in early stages of reading the “home factor” is denotable. The peer role and interaction between teacher and student is also important for the beginning stage. The social factors which influence the students’ reading is very different from student to student E.g. for one it could be the teacher training and for the other library resources or classroom resource. The fact that these factors are very individual is not a good reason to ignore the importance of the study of these factors.

In case of L2 reading, the reading is difficult for the students because they have to deal with two languages. The students should have some general knowledge of both languages. Their motivation and the way that they are dealing with task may be different both in L1 and L2. The student ability to learn to read in their native language may differ from that of a second one. There are extremely more “social variations” and possibilities than mentioned above, and many researches underlined the significant influence of the social factors on L2 reading.


 * Specific L2 reading issues **

L2 reading practices, processes and purposes create the following issues: //limited knowledge of L2 reader as compared to L1 reader, relative importance of L2 language proficiency versus L1 reading abilities, the role of bilingual dictionaries, mental translation and also recognition of the fact that different educational institutions work differently with different learners//. L2 learners start from scratches, that is, there is no initial language, whereas L1 readers know for over 6,000 words. The L2 reader may have little speaking skills at the moment of reading. As L2 learners become more proficient in reading, a major debate has evolved on the main way of supporting L2 reading abilities: __L2 language knowledge (L2 vocabulary knowledge) or L1 reading skills (reading strategies).__ This theory is known as **Language Threshold Hypothesis.** Many L2 learners seek to develop a large recognition vocabulary, command of language structure and discourse marking devices**.** It turned out that L2 readers transfer L2 syntactic knowledge of various types to their L2 reading. There is another hypothesis called **Orthographic Depth Hypothesis.** It says that readers of differing orthographies will develop different word recognition skills depending on L1 orthography. However, there is evidence that this hypothesis reflects the learning behavior of certain groups of beginning L2 learners. Thus, there is another area which pays attention on certain reading strategies and the role of bilingual resources for reading.

The use of certain reading strategies and the role of bilingual resources is another specific L2 reading issue. Research has shown that //mental translation//, using //cognates// and //bilingual dictionaries// are of great help for L2 reading learners but only in the case of they are well taught how to do that. Another issue is the //organization of the L2 text//. As sometimes the text organization patterns are different in two languages. So the learners should not only be taught well the organizational differences but also they need more practice. One of the disadvantages of the L2 reading is the //amount of L2 exposure//. The learners are not given the appropriate amount of the material they need. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">There are several implications which can be established for L2 reading instruction. Among those are the need for a large vocabulary recognition, the need to provide //good explanations and instructions//, the need for //organizing discourse,// the need for //practice//, the need of //extensive reading//.

res and phonological patterns and of enhancing memorization skills (Fries, 1945).

**Reading Instruction**

The author draws our attention on a number of general implications that should be taken account of in L2 reading:


 * The necessity of extended vocabulary on the recognition level
 * The necessity of supplying language instruction in a precise manner to assist learners overcome the language barrier in L2

These two points are meant to improve students reading skills.


 * The need to know the rules of the organization of discourse
 * The helpfulness of graphic representations in making the comprehension process smoother

These points stress the importance of working with a variety of texts some of which might be rather unfamiliar to the learners.


 * The significance of possessing certain reading strategies
 * The necessity of practice aimed to promote reading fluency
 * The need for reading extensively and dealing with a wide variety of texts in L2
 * The profits of the integration of reading and writing instruction in a teaching/learning environment

The last point lays emphasis on the natural interrelation between reading and writing skills.


 * The importance of content-based instruction aimed to promote reading proficiency
 * The significance of increasing student motivation to read

The above mentioned ten implications may be useful in setting instructional principles.


 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Further Issues for Consideration **

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Some other further issues that need to be examined in L2 reading are: reading assessment, reading and writing interactions, materials development, teacher training, curriculum space issues, the role of authentic materials and motivational factors. Many famous professors such as Alderson, Weir, Widdowson discuss these issues but however they need more serious explorations.