Reading and spelling in Arabic: Linguistic and orthographic complexity

Abstract

This paper presents a discussion in an attempt to understand how reading and spelling processes in Arabic are influenced by the orthographic and linguistic uniqueness of the Arabic language, and what are the implications of this uniqueness on the acquisition of literacy skills from cognitive and developmental psycholinguistic points of view. From the psycholinguistic point of view, the paper deals with the unique developmental trajectories of phonological processing skills within the diglossic context of Arabic beside to the contribution of the orthographic exposure to the establishment of the phonological representations among native Arab readers. Other psycholinguistic and cognitive processes such as morphological and visual processing and their role within context of reading and word recognition were discussed. Comprehensive conclusions are suggested for the applied and research fields. © 2011 ACADEMY PUBLISHER Manufactured in Finland.