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Phonics

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Dave Barry once wrote that he majored in English because you could never be completely wrong or completely right. Let's be honest and admit our cherished mother tongue is full of contradictions and ambiguities that barely able us to communicate our true meanings. So is it better to show the kids the confounded puzzle after it all put together, or teach them to identify each piece first and then put it together?

Three of my children were taught the modern way, while my one daughter was taught phonetically. Whenever we went on vacation, my boys would yell out, "What's the name of this town, dad?" My daughter, on the other hand, would try to pronounce the name of every town we came to, phonetically. We went down the main street of one town and she pronounced each word of the sign: "Massage Parlor, Open 24 whores a day." Of course the word "hour" looks like it should be pronounced whore. A common mistake, I suppose, when you are not learning the language.

Our revered language is probably better at hiding meanings than in revealing our true thoughts. Have you ever tried to decipher your insurance policies? With the many weather disasters we've had, more and more people are learning how well our language hides meanings through ambiguity. But that wasn't the case when my daughter read the massage parlor sign...it was the power of phonetics that brought out the true meaning.

Learn more about this author, Warner Rogers.
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