Letter names help children to connect print and speech

A critical step in the acquisition of literacy involves learning that the printed forms of words symbolize the words' linguistic forms. We propose that children first connect print and speech by noticing links between letters in printed words (e.g., the b of beech) and letter names in the corresponding spoken words (e.g., the /bi/ in the spoken word beech). Support for this proposal comes from 2 experiments in which preschoolers were asked to say the first letters of words. Children were relatively good at telling that beech and beaver began with b and that deaf ended with f. They were less likely to know that bone and bonus began with b and that loaf ended with f. Moreover, some children stated that wife began with y and that seem began with c. These errors reflect the letter names at the beginnings of the spoken words.