Learning to spell in English as a second language

Abstract

Spelling competence in English L2 is not the result of specific teaching and training. Two questions are discussed in this article: How do Dutch learners manage to gain control of this complicated system? And what spelling knowledge is acquired? Because beginning learners lack the necessary prerequisites for a phonological strategy, it is claimed that, in spelling acquisition in English L2, a visual strategy must play an important role. In the author's view, a visual strategy has to be regarded as one which allows the learner to detect and store the graphotactic system. Evidence was gathered that L2 learners are sensitive to graphotactic patterns. The question as to what spelling knowledge is acquired was answered by means of a subdivision of English orthography into spelling categories. Spelling knowledge develops in a predictable way. The more frequent and regular spellings are, the fewer the errors made.