Learning to read in own language

The material was written in Zulu and Xhosa and subscribes to the fact that it is better for children to learn to read in their home language. Children bring to the task:

• Knowledge of the language: sound system (phonemic awareness: ability to notice individual sounds in spoken words); syntax; vocabulary
• Having this knowledge, they can relate it to the alphabet and map their knowledge on to print
• Even children who speak indigenous languages at home who have been to English pre-schools will not have the same level of phonemic awareness in English as in their home language.