Final answer:
Novice readers and spellers benefit from learning how certain graphemes are used in different positions in syllables, such as understanding the role of a final e in indicating soft pronunciation of c and g, and long vowels.
Step-by-step explanation:
Novice readers and spellers can make more sense of English if they are shown that certain graphemes are used in initial, medial, and final positions in syllables. This is because novices are still learning the basic rules and patterns of English spelling, including the various roles that a final e can play in influencing the pronunciation of preceding letters. For instance, a silent final e can indicate whether a preceding g is pronounced as a soft [j] sound, as in the word 'page', or whether a preceding c is soft, as in 'lace'.
Understanding these patterns helps novice learners to decode new words more effectively and gain a better grasp of how English orthography reflects pronunciation. In English, graphemes can represent different sounds depending on their position and the letters that surround them. A key example of this is the rule that the letter c will always spell the [s] sound when followed by e, i, or y, as seen in words like 'cent', 'city', and 'cynic'.
The final e in a word can serve multiple purposes:
- It can mark a preceding vowel as being long, as in 'make' versus 'mak'.
- It can mark a preceding c as being soft, as in 'lace' versus 'lack'.
- It can also mark a preceding g as being soft, as in 'page' versus 'pag'.
These rules are especially important for novice readers and spellers as they navigate the complexities of English spelling and pronunciation.