ABSTRACT
The heuristic value of experiments contrasting Japanese and English orthography is clear: By looking at cultural differences in learning to read, teachers can test hypotheses about psychological processes in their models of reading. Professor Giyoo Hatano discusses the processes through which Japanese children come to read and write Japanese sentences fluently, using knowledge of its orthography. He points out that the syllabic code of kana and the morphographic code of kanji invoke processes not invoked by the English alphabet code. The configuration of figural elements is practically burned into the neurology of Japanese school children by constant drill and practice. According to Professor Hatano, for the experienced reader, there are four internal codes of a word: the kanji code, the kana code, the phonetic code, and the meaning code. His discussion of Children's Japanese Orthography acquisition has enabled us to understand the role of phonological segmentation in learning kana and the demands imposed by the special syllables.
