A lesson in decoding what you read...

[BrazenMuse]

This is a lesson in how readers use previous knowledge & deep grammar to decode unfamiliar text.

If you feel like playing along, go for it.

Read it as best you can and translate it into English.

What strategies do you use to decode it?

NOTE: You are going to recognize it pretty quickly...try word for word translation of at least one or two sentences...the point is not the identification but the process of decoding


Di Tri Berrese

Uans appona taim uas tri berrese: mamma berre, pappa berre, e bebi berre. Live inne contri nire foresta. NAISE AUS. (NO MUGHEGGIA.) Uanne dei pappa, mamma, e beibi go tooda bice, onie, a fughette locche di doore.

Bai enne bai commese Goldilocchese. Sci garra nattinghe tu do batte maiche troble. Sci puscie olle fudde doan di maute; no live cromme. Den sci gos appesterrese enne slipse in olle beddse.

LEILEI SLOBBE!

Bai enne bai commese omme di tri berrese, olle sonnebronnde, enne send inne scius. Dei garra no fudde; dei garra no beddse. En ura dei goine do tu Goldilocchese? Tro erre inne strit? Colle Puissemenne?

FETTE CIENZE!

Dei uas Italien Berrese, erne dei slippe onna florre.

Goldilocchese stei derre tri uicase; itte aute ausenomme, en guiste bicose dei eshe erre tu meiche di beddse, sci sei, "No aye," enne runne omme criane to erre mamma, tellen erre aut bade berrese dei uer.

Uatsiuse? Uara iu goine du-go comleine sittiolle?

[Suspended]

Ahh Goldilocks and the three bears...a porridgey classic :biggrin:

[BrazenMuse]

Ahh Goldilocks and the three bears...a porridgey classic :biggrin:

Now...aside from the obvious similarities...how did you work out the meaning? which words meant what?

Try typing at least one or two sentences in regular English...

[Suspended]

Once upon a time there was three bears, Mama bear, Papa bear and Baby bear. Lived in the country near a forest. Nice house. One day, Papa, Mama, and baby bear go to the beach, only, they forget to lock the door.

(NO MUGHEGGIA.) :conf06:

[BrazenMuse]

Once upon a time there was three bears, Mama bear, Papa bear and Baby bear. Lived in the country near a forest. Nice house. One day, Papa, Mama, and baby bear go to the beach, only, they forget to lock the door.

(NO MUGHEGGIA.) :conf06:
everyone gets stumped by that one...


Now...what did you use to decode it? previous knowledge of the story or what?

[Suspended]

everyone gets stumped by that one...


Now...what did you use to decode it? previous knowledge of the story or what?

So put me out of my misery before I scratch myself bald :conf06:

Oh, the decoding part, I just read it normally and if a word seemed unfamiliar I reread and remixed the syllables until I found the word that made sense. Previous knowledge of the story probably helps, I'm not sure, this isn't exactly true to the original :)

[BrazenMuse]

bump...

This exercise is interesting to me because it takes a competent reader some time to get what's going on...and lets all readers see what some texts look like to struggling readers, whether the struggle is because English is not a native language, because of disability or because of negative educational experiences...

Give it a try...

[Monny JcIntosh]

Once upon a time there was three bears, Mama bear, Papa bear and Baby bear. Lived in the country near a forest. Nice house. One day, Papa, Mama, and baby bear go to the beach, only, they forget to lock the door.

(NO MUGHEGGIA.) :conf06:

No mortgage.

[Suspended]

No mortgage.

Thanks, I'd never have gotten that one :biggrin:

[BrazenMuse]

No mortgage.

yep!
waiting to see what happens with the rest of the story...

[panklady]

Okay, why did I feel bi-lingual reading this? I honestly used my deductive reasoning for this. The first little bit threw me...but once I got to bears...I read back...caught on...and threw what I knew/thought in & was able to forth.

[BrazenMuse]

Okay, why did I feel bi-lingual reading this? I honestly used my deductive reasoning for this. The first little bit threw me...but once I got to bears...I read back...caught on...and threw what I knew/thought in & was able to forth.

see...and deduction is what should be in play here...however, some readers have a sense of how to do this and some don't. For the ESL student, it is nearly impossible to read in the new language ESPECIALLY if there is any slang or non-standard usage in the text...imagine having to use a dictionary for every word BEFORE you can begin assembling any meaning from the text?
It's not easy. When I ran into this at a workshop, it sharpened my empathy for students who have to face this daily...

what about, for instance, this part...


LEILEI SLOBBE!

Bai enne bai commese omme di tri berrese, olle sonnebronnde, enne send inne scius. Dei garra no fudde; dei garra no beddse. En ura dei goine do tu Goldilocchese? Tro erre inne strit? Colle Puissemenne?

[Suspended]

Little slob!

By and by (?) comes home the three bears, all sunburned and sand in their shoes.
They got no food; they got no beds. And what are they going to do to Goldilocks? Throw her in the street? Call the policemen?

[House Music Aficionado]

....

Gosh, that stumped me!

....

[BrazenMuse]

Little slob!

By and by (?) comes home the three bears, all sunburned and sand in their shoes.
They got no food; they got no beds. And what are they going to do to Goldilocks? Throw her in the street? Call the policemen?

Cool!! Did you find it difficult to figure?
Now...imagine if all text looked like that to you - it's hard to remember the days when every bit of text you read was a matter for difficult decoding work...
I'm teaching Shakespeare to 9th graders and really had to do some serious thinking on my processes as a reader, how to break down exactly what I do...
It's fun finding ways to help them develop strategies for "getting it" - I'm learning...

[Suspended]

Cool!! Did you find it difficult to figure?
Now...imagine if all text looked like that to you - it's hard to remember the days when every bit of text you read was a matter for difficult decoding work...
I'm teaching Shakespeare to 9th graders and really had to do some serious thinking on my processes as a reader, how to break down exactly what I do...
It's fun finding ways to help them develop strategies for "getting it" - I'm learning...

It really does give you a strong insight into reading difficulties. It's not hard to imagine why so many illiterate adults find it so daunting and embarrassing trying to learn, especially when reading is second nature to those who've been taught early.

Good luck with the Shakespeare! Most of us who left 9th grade a LONG time ago still have problems with that. You're obviously a very committed and interesting teacher Miss Muse. I'm certain your pupils are lucky to have you :thumbsup: