The dimensions to phonology in spelling are:
  1. graphemic awareness;
  2. phonemic awareness.
The phonemes of English are the units of pronunciation by which meaning is constructed and perceived. Elements of speech that are not directly connected to establishing meaning are not phonemes and, therefore, have zero relevance to spelling.
Phonemes can consist of strings of one, two, three, or even more ‘phones’; that is why referring to them as ‘sounds’ is inexact, inappropriate and, above all, misleading.
 
 
When phonemes are represented in spellings they are represented by graphemes, a limited set of of one-, two- or three-letter strings that represent the phonemes of English.
  1. Most phonemes correspond to a repertoire of two or more possible graphemes.
  2. The choice of grapheme is determined by ‘circumstances’ that govern where and how they can be used in a spelling.
Any attempt to teach phonology without reference to available graphemes AND the circumstances that govern their use is invalid.
 
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