SPELLING PRACTICE OF THE INDEPENDENCE ERA : “UKRAINIAN SPELLING” IN 1990

The given research is devoted to the formation specificity of the Ukrainian orthographic code during the Independence period. The methods of “Ukrainian spelling” of 1990 have been clarified in succession. We also logically elaborated the system of innovations within a projection on the developed tradition, standing on the basis that language changes, therefore the spelling code should adhere to the established norms, simultaneously reflecting its up-to-date condition. The focus lies in interpreting the spelling changes of 1990 and 2019, as the spelling code of 1993 did not involve drastic changes. The system of all the latest innovations is analysed in detail. They are classified according to such criteria as terms of the new spelling standards implementation (to be exact, the pronunciation and spelling of words proiekt, sviashchennyi, Sviatvechir, piv vidra, piv Kyieva, piv yashchyka, pivostriv, pivlitrovyi), alternative norms (kafedra / katedra, audytoriia / avdytoriia, Hete / Getu, Londona / Londonu, Ivanovi / Ivanevi, arkhymandryt / arkhimandryt, etc.). It is about non-alternative norms as well (they are related to spelling of parts of the word base, inflections of declension words, words of foreign origin and proper names, and usage of punctuation). Systematized material on graphics, spelling, and punctuation serves as a specific kind of guide for those who will study the dynamics of the newest spelling rules. It was proved that the spontaneous critique of the orthographic system gradually acquired a constructive point, relying not only on intra- but also on extralingual factors. The issue of the modern alphabet war in Ukraine as well as reasons for its occurrence and negative impact on the spiritual and cultural progress of our country have not remained outside the research. The “Project of the Latest Edition of the Ukrainian Orthography” was logically accentuated. It made a great impression on society, though was not legitimized. The emphasis is on the fact that one of the current priorities lies in creating a single spelling model for Ukrainians within mainland Ukraine and in the diaspora. We are confident on the point it will function as an important consolidating factor of the nation.

The impact of consonant–vowel transpositions on masked priming effects in Italian and English

There are now a number of reports in the literature that transposed letter (TL) priming effects emerge when two consonants are transposed (e.g., caniso-CASINO) but not when two vowels are transposed (e.g., cinaso-CASINO). In the present article, four masked priming lexical decision experiments, two in Italian and two in English, are reported in which TL priming effects involving the transposition of two adjacent consonants (e.g., atnenna-ANTENNA) were contrasted with those involving the transposition of a vowel and an adjacent consonant (e.g., anetnna-ANTENNA), a contrast not directly examined in the previous literature. In none of the experiments was there any indication that the priming effects were different sizes for the two types of transpositions, including Experiment 4 in which a sandwich priming paradigm was used. These results support the assumption of most orthographic coding models that the consonant–vowel status of the letters is not relevant to the nature of the orthographic code. The question of how to reconcile these results with other TL manipulations investigating vowel versus consonant transpositions is discussed.

Orthographic processing is universal; it's what you do with it that's different

We agree with Frost that the variety of orthographies in the world's languages complicates the task of “cracking the orthographic code.” Frost suggests that orthographic processing must therefore differ between orthographies. We suggest that the same basic orthographic processes are applied to all languages. Where languages differ is in what the reader must do with the results of orthographic processing.

Developing a universal model of reading necessitates cracking the orthographic code

I argue, contra Frost, that when prime lexicality and target density are considered, it is not clear that there are fundamental differences between form priming effects in Semitic and European languages. Furthermore, identifying and naming printed words in these languages raises common theoretical problems. Solving these problems and developing a universal model of reading necessitates “cracking” the orthographic input code.

The orthographic consistency effect in the recognition of French spoken words: An early developmental shift from sublexical to lexical orthographic activation

ABSTRACTThe generality of the orthographic consistency effect in speech recognition tasks previously reported for Portuguese beginning readers was assessed in French-speaking children, as the French orthographic code presents a higher degree of inconsistency than the Portuguese one. Although the findings obtained with the French second graders replicated the generalized consistency effect (both for words and pseudowords, in both lexical decision and shadowing) displayed by the Portuguese second to fourth graders, the data obtained with the French third and fourth graders resembled the adult pattern, with the orthographic effect restricted to lexical decision. This suggests that, in the course of literacy acquisition, the overall orthographic inconsistency of the language's orthographic code influences the rate at which orthographic representations will impact on spoken word recognition.