Word count analysis of Malay language textbooks for the purpose of developing a Malay reading remedial programme

Abstract

Cross-linguistic studies showed that young readers are sensitive to the orthographic and phonological structures of the languages in use. In our attempt to develop a Malay reading remedial programme, we conducted a word count analysis on Year 1 and Year 2 Malay textbooks. The results provided empirical evidence to describe the orthographic and phonological features of Malay, which functions to inform the cross-linguistic adaptations needed for a Malay-reading remedial programme. The results revealed that words with single-letter grapheme are common, and grapheme–phoneme mappings are transparent in the Malay language. However, different from English, monosyllabic words are few in the Malay language. The under-representation of monosyllabic words necessitates the use of two-syllabic words as the primary set of word stimuli for a reading remedial programme. It is also shown that the Malay language is more complex at the syllabic and morphological levels, which we argue will affect word reading acquisition, despite having a transparent orthography.

Keywords:

• Cross-linguistic
• Reading remediation
• Word count analysis
• Malay language
• Dyslexia