Why Does Prosody Accompany Fluency? Re-conceptualizing the Role of Phonology in Reading

Abstract

This chapter addresses the observation that reading speed and reading intonation tend to develop together in typical readers, yet current theories of phonological processing do not explain this developmental relationship. To explore the connection between prosody and fluency, I first discuss skilled reading processes and then turn to the development of reading fluency in children. Recent eye movement data from skilled readers indicate that automatically processing prosodic phonological information speeds word recognition during silent reading. After differentiating between intentional decoding processes and automatic phonological precoding, I propose how precoding could shorten skilled word recognition time through a process termed prosodic constraint. A focused review of brain imaging studies discusses data consistent with prosodic constraint, and indicates the neural networks that could support it. Finally, I discuss the roles that several phonological processes could play in developing reading fluency.