
Reading Acquisition in India
Models of Learning and Dyslexia
Purushottam G. Patel(Author)
SAGE Publications Inc (Publisher)
1st Edition
Published on 9. June 2004
Book
Hardback
172 pages
978-0-7619-3220-8 (ISBN)
Description
The sixth in the series on Research in Applied Linguistics, this is a ground-breaking study which presents a phonological analysis of Brahmi and its modern derivatives. It closely examines India's ancient cultural-linguistic background, particularly the Vedic Culture of oral tradition, and relates this scholarship to current research and theory in linguistics, neurobehavioral sciences, and special education. The author also provides an empirical understanding of reading acquisition by children with a particular focus on those facing poverty, a toxic environment, and the deprivation associated with low caste status.
The book is a departure from current neuropsychological research which is limited to the middle-class dyslexic child. It argues the need for a multidisciplinary approach which takes into account the effects of poverty, socioeconomic deprivation and environmental toxicity on reading acquisition among children from deprived groups. Purushottam Patel discusses a number of important issues including:
- The linguistic context and principles underlying the Brahmi script.
- The reasons behind literacy emerging as a part of natural language development, especially in an oral culture.
- The cultural habits surrounding reading.
- The importance of the living environment to literacy development.
- The need for multidisciplinary research, with an emphasis on neurobehavioral teratology.
The book is a departure from current neuropsychological research which is limited to the middle-class dyslexic child. It argues the need for a multidisciplinary approach which takes into account the effects of poverty, socioeconomic deprivation and environmental toxicity on reading acquisition among children from deprived groups. Purushottam Patel discusses a number of important issues including:
- The linguistic context and principles underlying the Brahmi script.
- The reasons behind literacy emerging as a part of natural language development, especially in an oral culture.
- The cultural habits surrounding reading.
- The importance of the living environment to literacy development.
- The need for multidisciplinary research, with an emphasis on neurobehavioral teratology.
Reviews / Votes
The book is useful reading for anyone seeking information on issues like India's ancient oral tradition, writing systems, and linguistic heritage. It also has much to offer to anyone interested in a contemporary review of reading, spelling and its neuropsychological explanations.... It is strongly recommended to those who would like to have an empirical view of reading acquisition in India. -- Discourse StudiesMore details
Series
Edition
First Edition
Language
English
Place of publication
Thousand Oaks
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Cloth over boards
Dimensions
Height: 216 mm
Width: 140 mm
Weight
325 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-7619-3220-8 (9780761932208)
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Schweitzer Classification
Person
Purushottam G. Patel has been teaching and pursuing research in linguistics at the University of Ottawa since 1970. He retired as professor from that institution in 1998. Professor Patel's research interests center around the linguistic-neural-cognitive processing system with special attention to reading acquisition and developmental dyslexia. He is, at present, engaged in developing a perspective on the relationship of the Indian Br hm script to ancient Indian linguistics and Vedic oral tradition through a phonological analysis. Professor Patel's previous contribution to scholarship includes Reading Disabilities: The Interaction of Reading, Language, and Neuropsychological Deficits (coauthor), as also several research papers, review articles and book reviews.
Content
Foreword J P Das - J P Das
Preface
Introduction
Writing Systems, Scripts and Orthographies
Ancient Indian Cultural-Linguistic Heritage
Some Linguistic Features of Brahmi Scripts
Emergence of Reading in Language Development
Cognitive-Linguistic-Neural Processing in Reading
Aksaras and Current Reading Acquisition Research
Studies: Language and School Systems
Children from Mainstream Groups
Children from Scheduled Groups Living in Outer Areas
Children from Scheduled Groups Living in and around Upper-Class Areas
Children from Scheduled Groups: Poor Readers or Dyslexics?
Conclusion
References and Select Bibliography
Index
Preface
Introduction
Writing Systems, Scripts and Orthographies
Ancient Indian Cultural-Linguistic Heritage
Some Linguistic Features of Brahmi Scripts
Emergence of Reading in Language Development
Cognitive-Linguistic-Neural Processing in Reading
Aksaras and Current Reading Acquisition Research
Studies: Language and School Systems
Children from Mainstream Groups
Children from Scheduled Groups Living in Outer Areas
Children from Scheduled Groups Living in and around Upper-Class Areas
Children from Scheduled Groups: Poor Readers or Dyslexics?
Conclusion
References and Select Bibliography
Index