"the equivalent of not knowing how to spell common words."
...I see that in native English speakers all the time... But it is definitely disturbing not to be able to produce written language without a device...a whole different twist on functional illiteracy.
Yes to the English misspelling--however, usually English speakers can get close enough you can make out what they meant--we don't have the problem of going completely blank and being unable to write the word at all!
Would a relevant parallel be American students who were taught to read in the mid-eighties who cannot even come up with a single plausible pronunciation for a word they have not seen before?
Because I know a number of those. Including one who is fully capable of reading phonetically in Spanish, but who cannot manage it at all in English.
Mm, that seems comparable, yes (although for receptive rather than expressive language). That's the whole-language-only-and-no-phonics-because-it's-oppressive-or-something approach you're referencing, right?
Is it cultural imperialism to blame the writing system here? Because I don't think I would waste much effort remembering how to write the characters either, in their place. It's like cursive x 1000. Electronic entry is a bit fragile, but it's got to be a huge improvement.
Nah--from what I've read, the Chinese pretty much agree that their writing system has some serious disadvantages in a modern technological age--who wants a 3000-character keyboard? But that doesn't mean they're happy about the idea of losing it.
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...I see that in native English speakers all the time... But it is definitely disturbing not to be able to produce written language without a device...a whole different twist on functional illiteracy.
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Because I know a number of those. Including one who is fully capable of reading phonetically in Spanish, but who cannot manage it at all in English.
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