ABSTRACT
This chapter considers fundamental aspects of the reading process that make it a complex social and cognitive operation involving readers, writers, texts, contexts, purposes, and extensive knowledge of formal conventions. It introduces contemporary principles of literacy and literacy development to familiarize readers with definitions of key constructs in the interrelated fields of literacy studies, primary language (L1) and second language (L2) reading research, and pedagogy. The chapter also considers contemporary views of literacy as a sociocultural and psychological construct that frames reading development and processes among L1 and L2 learners. Fluent readers typically perceive a word within 100 milliseconds and recognize its meanings within around 250 milliseconds. The chapter highlights the marvel of reading, which scientists, philosophers, and literary figures have rightly described as a miracle that many of people take for granted. The D. LaBerge and S. J. Samuels model involves perceiving print information, which activates several cortical regions, where it becomes eligible for semantic processing.
