No Word Unspoken - Daniel Zalewski
Summar and Review
Space Between Words: The Origins of Silent Reading - Paul Saenger
An important theme of the article is the idea of
changing reading habits owing greatly to the links which characterize and
control hypertext, and can often possess ulterior “non-neutral” meanings that
require critical analysis and awareness raising. Also, as ITC
practitioners we need to be more aware of:
- the mechanics of web design and authoring;
- the appropriateness of using the Web with particular cultural groups and individuals;
- the limitations of the Web.
Burbules refers to earlier reading conventions, that
of scrolled parchments and codex volumes. I found the idea of changing
reading habits fascinating. Electronic readers, such as Rebecca’s Kindle,
were gadgets I initially resisted but now they are one of my favourite reading
tools (while switching between e-reader and paperback at the pool I have on a
couple of occasions subconsciously tried touching a word to find its
translation! Example of my brain trying to get its link fix where there is none
to be found?). Reading online brings a higher cognitive load,
differentiating between the cacophony of links requires further decision making
and complex reasoning not found in linear texts. This change brings
comparison between reading habits in the era of scriptura continua when
text was devoid of word spacing and required greater cognitive activity in
deciphering where one word ended and another began. Paul Saenger believes that reading abilitythrough lexical access is dependent on the duration of cognitive activity inthe culture’s script; this may be a critical factor to be considered when
promoting hypertext among English learners and their ability to negotiate, as
well as their awareness of, competing stimuli.
Like Cristina I had never really thought about the
various types of links that exist, the idea of links as tropes is definitely
challenging and something I had never considered. I think I will have to
review that section a few times to take it in better.
I also find myself going off at a tangent when reading
journals. Much like hypertext, following the myriad of journal references can
be enlightening and disorientating!
The rhizomatic character of the Web serves us greatly
and can, pardon the additional overused language trope, have Marmite qualities
(Love or Hate!?). The Bricolage
and Juxtaposition nature of hypertext brings an incredible wealth of new ideas
however I do quite often like to escape it and return to my good old paperback.
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