Glossary Alphabetic awareness - Knowledge of the letters of the alphabet coupled with the understanding that the alphabet represents the sounds of the spoken language. When sufficient background knowledge does not exist, it will be necessary to adjust instructions accordingly. The ease with which students translate print to speech. Phonemes - The elementary speech sounds represented by the letters of a perfect alphabet. The awareness that spoken words or syllables can be thought of as a sequence of phonemes.
Phonemic awareness is a sub-category of phonological awareness.
The ability to attend to the phonological or sound structure of language as distinct from its meaning. Types of phonological awareness include word awareness, syllable awareness, rhyme awareness, and phonemic awareness. Phonological decoding - Translating the letters or spelling patterns of a written word into speech patterns in order to identify the word and to gain access to its meaning. Phonological encoding - Writing a letter or word based on its sounds. Translating the spelling of written words into the speech sounds they represent.