Rebecca Treiman|Iris Levin|Brett Kessler
Linking the shapes of alphabet letters to their sounds: the case of Hebrew
Washington University in St. Louis|Tel Aviv University|Washington University in St. Louis
learning sounds letters important part learning writing system previous studies process examined english focusing variations phonetic iconicity letter names reason letter sounds b sound beginning letters name easier learn others w sound name present study examined hebrew variations phonetic iconicity letter names minimal study 391 israeli children mean age 5 years 10 months used multilevel models examine factors associated knowledge letter sounds one set factors involved letter names children sometimes attributed letter consonantvowel sound consisting first phonemes letters name second set factors involved contrast children difficulty relatively little contrast shape one letter others frequency also important encompassing childspecific effects benefit first letter childs forename effects held true across children benefit first letters alphabet factors reflect general properties human learning