Reading Level, Amount and Literacy

[Clearly Opaque]

Do you believe that the amount of reading, the reading level of the material read, and how often one reads plays a key role in the spoken and literate abilities?  

[Smoozle]

Yes. I believe reading a lot improves your literacy as you learn a bigger vocabulary and sometimes even how to pronounce words.

E.G. While reading Terry Pratchett I saw the word "Bursar" I thought it was pronounced "Bur - Sar" my father told me it was more "Bur-ser". Hence, I learned a new word, and how to pronounce it.  

[Clearly Opaque]

I believe that people who read more have better literacy skills because they are training their subconscious mind when they are reading to work along the lines of the material they are taking in. AKA, someone who sits down and reads many books by one author will begin to show writing skills and language skills that stray along the lines of that authors writing over time. This is most aparent when you sit down and read the "favorite author lists" of any given author....Stephen King, for example, writes like a conglomerate of his favorite authors with a hint of his own personality!

I think this also applies to the literacy skills of the heard language around people as well though. Not to beat a dead horse with Ghetto-speak, I'll use Gamer-Talk. Those who play a game together extensively, such as World of Warcrack find themselves using language that comes from that game, and terms that come from that game. In past eras, those that read the same kinds of literature shared this same "lingo".

So, long story short...I believe if people read more, especially written material, like books, more often, they would subconsciously change their writing skills to the level of the writers they were reading.  

[Smoozle]

^^ Wow... That was deep.  

[MyOwnBestCritic]

I learned to read when I was about four, thus giving me a headstart. I remember that sitting on my mom's lap reading was one of the best times of the day for me in little-kid-land. This probably carried over into my love of reading today.  

[Clearly Opaque]

MyOwnBestCritic

I learned to read when I was about four, thus giving me a headstart. I remember that sitting on my mom's lap reading was one of the best times of the day for me in little-kid-land. This probably carried over into my love of reading today.

Both of my Grandmothers retired to teach English, so I had alot of it from birth on. Some of my best memories are of my Grandma's reading stories to put us to sleep, and the grammar and spelling books one of my Grandma's had that had dragons and fairies and such in it. Some great memories there. My Mother also used to read for long hours to us out of adventure books and the like and then would let us take turns reading if we wanted. It really helped me out when it came to literacy skills from a young age.  

[Ame Yuki Kaze]

Absolutely. The more one reads, the more one learns. You can learn new words, writing styles, etc. by reading. It's also beneficial to be read to as a small child. The brain is forming neural pathways that will last a lifetime in those early years (1-5) that can never be duplicated after age five.

I know for a fact that I wouldn't be as literate as I am if my parents hadn't read to me almost every single day when I was little. Not just little kids' books either, but books from the Time Life fantasy series (Wizards and Witches, Dragons, Gods and Goddesses). I learned about other cultures and learned stories I can still remember to this very day from those books.  

[darthapples]

Yes I most definately beleive this, and am proof that it's true. I went right from beverly cleary books to steven king in the third grade. I would have a king book in my lap and a dictionary beside me. Because I skipped most of the usual kids books my vocabulary was very different from most kids. I would thing of the word gregarious instead of big, nondomesticated instead of wild. People thought i was being stuck up or trying to make them look stupid, I wasn't, I just couldn't form simpler sentences. Since becoming an adult I've went back and read some of the books I missed along the way, either sharing them with my daughter or just on my own. I also try to read whatever she's reading...  

[sdfghjklsdfghjskldfghjkls]

I only read what is assigned to me; I do not do any recreational reading. However, you may notice that I never misspell a word, and my use of grammar is far above average.
(If I do misspell a word, it is only because I am in a hurry, not because I do not know how to spell it.)  

[[~~Bakky~~]]

Yes.  

[The Man who was Thursday]

Intuicide

I only read what is assigned to me; I do not do any recreational reading. However, you may notice that I never misspell a word, and my use of grammar is far above average.
(If I do misspell a word, it is only because I am in a hurry, not because I do not know how to spell it.)

Bingo.

Although, I do read sometimes on the side; it's normally so convoluted that it wouldn't help my spelling for s**t.  

[Sweet Blushes]

Hmm, that theory seems very correct. I guess reading really has an enormous impact on not only literacy skills, but also your everday life.