Reading in Asian Languages: Making Sense of Written Texts in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean

296 Pages·2011·6.73 MB·English

by  K. S. Goodman

READING IN ASIAN LANGUAGES
“This book is both an extension and further refinement of the theory of reading
as creating meaning, and the first coherent and extended application to a group of
languages that use what is commonly called ‘logographic’ writing systems. Both the
discussion of the theory and its applications to non-alphabetic scripts are new. Signifi-
cantly advancing and deepening the theoretical and descriptive information available
on these issues, the volume provides an invaluable source for people who are inter-
ested in any of these topics.”
Peter Fries, Central Michigan University, USA
“There is absolute need for this book. It reflects the latest developments in not only
Ken Goodman’s reading theory and reading research, but also in the study of the
orthographies of non-alphabetic languages (especially Chinese) and reading research
in these languages.”
Liu Zhenqian, Shandong University, People’s Republic of China
Reading in Asian Languages is rich with information about how literacy works in the
non-alphabetic writing systems (Chinese, Japanese, Korean) used by hundreds of mil-
lions of people and refutes the common Western belief that such systems are hard to
learn or to use. The contributors share a comprehensive view of reading as construc-
tion of meaning, which they show is fully applicable to character-based reading. The
book explains how and why non-alphabetic writing works well for its users; provides
explanations for why it is no more difficult for children to learn than are alphabetic
writing systems, where they are used; and demonstrates in a number of ways that there
is a single process of making sense of written language, regardless of the orthography.
Ken Goodman is Professor Emeritus, University of Arizona.
Shaomei Wang is a lecturer in German, Russian and Asian Languages and
Literature at Tufts University.
Mieko Shimizu Iventosch teaches Japanese as a foreign language at Pima
Community College and at the University of Arizona.
Yetta Goodman is Regents Professor Emerita, University of Arizona.

READING IN ASIAN
LANGUAGES
Making Sense of Written Texts in
Chinese, Japanese, and Korean
Edited by
Ken Goodman
Shaomei Wang
Mieko Shimizu Iventosch
Yetta Goodman
First published 2012
by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Simultaneously published in the UK
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2012 Taylor & Francis
The right of the editor to be identifi ed as the author of the editorial
material, and of the authors for their individual chapters, has been
asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced
or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means,
now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording,
or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in
writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or
registered trademarks, and are used only for identifi cation and
explanation without intent to infringe.
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Reading in Asian languages : making sense of written texts in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean /
edited by Ken Goodman ... [et al.].
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Reading—Cross-cultural studies. 2. Reading—Code emphasis approaches.
3. Japanese language—Study and teaching. 4. Chinese language—Study and teaching.
5. Korean language—Study and teaching. I. Goodman, Kenneth S.
LB1050.R4125 2011
372.4—dc23
2011021299
ISBN: 978–0–415–89476–0 (hbk)
ISBN: 978–0–415–89477–7 (pbk)
ISBN: 978–0–203–81052–1 (ebk)
Typeset in Bembo by
by Swales & Willis Ltd, Exeter, Devon
Printed and bound in the United States of America on acid-free paper
by Walsworth Publishing Company, Marceline, MO.
DEDICATION
As I’m writing this dedication I’m sitting in my cabin on a Yangste River cruise,
a night’s travel from Wuhan. My wife Yetta and I also toured China in 1980.
China has certainly changed in the interim. At the end of this excursion, we will
go to Taipei, in Taiwan, for a conference organized by former doctoral student
Wen-Yun Lin. Yueh-Nu Hung, another former student, will be translating for
us. Both are represented in this book. I do not speak or read Chinese or the other
languages this book is concerned with.
This book began in a seminar on non-alphabetic writing systems at the Uni-
versity of Arizona with a number of Asian and other graduate students. That
seminar was part of a process of mutual teaching and learning. I introduced these
graduate students to the reading process and they taught me about their written
languages. I challenged them to test my theories of reading in their own literacy
and they challenged me with their skepticism about applying a comprehensive
theory of reading to such diverse writing systems.
Many of the highly motivated, experienced educators from Asia who came to
earn advanced degrees from the department of Language, Reading and Culture at
the University of Arizona became life-long friends and colleagues in the study of
literacy. These former students have gone forward to professional careers in their
own countries or the USA. Our co-editors for this book, Dr Mieko Iventosch
and Dr Shaomei Wang, were each part of this continuum. Mieko is an outstand-
ing teacher of Japanese as a native and foreign language. Shaomei teaches Chinese
at Tufts University. Both have a strong background in linguistics, literature, and
literacy. They have brought to this work their familiarity with the professional
literature in Japan and China on literacy, and an inside view of the traditions of
literacy in Asian cultures. Yetta Goodman gets credit for keeping us all on task,
editing the chapters, and reminding us about the importance of this endeavor.
vi Dedication
Literacy is a remarkable human achievement. We hope this work helps to broaden
appreciation of that achievement. Asian countries have a long history of literacy;
our goal in this book is to present both the difference and the unity in reading.
All of us join in dedicating this book to the children of Asia, and indeed the
world, and to their teachers who will support them as they grow into literacy.
Ken Goodman
CONTENTS
Acknowledgments x
Foreword xi
Jun Liu
PART I
Writing Systems in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean 1
1 The Process of Reading in Non-alphabetic Languages:
An Introduction 3
Ken Goodman
2 How a Morphosyllabic Writing System Works in Chinese 16
Yueh-Nu Hung
3 Similarities and Dissimilarities in Reading Chinese and English:
Goodman’s Reading Model Perspective 32
Yueh-Nu Hung
4 Chinese Writing Reform: A Socio-Psycholinguistic Perspective 45
Shaomei Wang
5 Ideography and Borrowing in Chinese 68
Ning Yu
viii Contents
6 Chinese Unconventional Characters: Characteristics,
Controversial Arguments, and Pedagogical Implications 86
Junlin Pan
7 A Successful Mixture of Alphabetic and Non-alphabetic
Writing: Chinese Characters in Korean 92
Rodney E. Tyson
8 Orthography: Human Creativity and Adaptability 99
Mieko Shimizu Iventosch
PART II
Studies of Reading in Chinese and Japanese 115
9 Making Sense in Reading Chinese: An Error-Detection Study 117
Jingguo Xu
10 Miscues and Eye Movements of Japanese Beginner Readers 127
Daniel Ferguson, Yasuhiko Kato, and Mariko Nagahiro
11 How Readers Process Japanese Orthography in Two Different
Texts 144
Koomi Kim
12 The Taxonomy of Chinese Reading Miscues 158
Shaomei Wang
PART III
Implications and Applications for Instruction 191
13 Understanding and Facilitating Literacy Development Among
Young Chinese-Speaking Children 193
Lian-Ju Lee
14 Teachers’ Reflections on Chinese Reading Miscue Analysis 211
Wen-Yun Lin
15 Experiencing Korean Culture and Language through Korean
Children’s Literature 221
Yoo Kyung Sung
Contents ix
16 Teaching Japanese Written Language 236
Mieko Shimizu Iventosch
17 Kamishibai: The Art of Japanese Visual Storytelling 258
Junko Sakoi
Contributors 267
Index 271