Best practices learn to to read/write for heritage speakers

Our take

Navigating the journey of reading and writing as a heritage speaker can be a labyrinthine experience, especially for those with a complex linguistic background like Hebrew. For individuals who learned English early and became conversationally fluent yet struggle with reading fluency and spelling, the path forward can be daunting but not insurmountable. Engaging with familiar texts, such as "Harry Potter," while following along with audio can provide context and enhance comprehension. Exploring tools like flashcards for common words may solidify spelling skills, while journaling, despite its initial challenges, could foster writing improvement over time. Additionally, seeking conversations that challenge academic vocabulary can help bridge the gap between conversational fluency and reading proficiency. Embrace the process, and remember: every step taken is part of a larger tapestry of linguistic growth.

TL;DR: Does anyone else here come from a language background with deep orthography, and have you successfully learned to read without formal schooling? What do you recommend doing?

My native language is Hebrew. I started learning English at 5 when my parents decided to live abroad, and I went to an international school. English became dominant for me at 8 when we immigrated to the US. I don't really know how the fluency grading people often use works, but I generally feel very conversationally fluent. I can understand and communicate about all normal daily topics (e.g., we just bought our first home, and I had no issue discussing financial topics with my dad). There will maybe 1-2 words I won't know if I listen to the news or talk to someone about something very academic, but I can almost always get it by context. I probably sound a bit uneducated, but people don't usually guess I'm American when I visit until I ask for an English menu at a restaurant. I can read very slowly with mistakes, but I am decoding more than automatically/fluently reading. I have never been taught to spell and my handwriting is awful.

I have been trying all kinds of things:

reading a super familiar book (Harry Potter) while listening to a YouTube recording I found of someone reading it in Hebrew (not sure if this is a good approach, just started this)
Duolingo (annoying as hell, not friendly to learning to read when you already know the language)
trying to sit in on Hebrew language classes (pointless, I just ended up being a tutor for other students' conversation skills)
trying to journal in Hebrew (painfully slow because I have to look up how to spell almost everything)
iTalki (again, poor fit because my conversational skills are fine).

Would love any advice from anyone else who is in this pickle. Should I be making flashcards of common words to memorize spelling? Doing more audiobook-guided reading? Forcing myself to write more, even if sloppily? I have taken a lot of language classes in my life (ASL, Dutch, Japanese, Arabic... and English I guess but I don't remember that) to varying degrees and do fine with structured programs, but I don't know how to go about it and this situation has bothered me all my life.

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Tagged with

#creative language use#language evolution#philosophy of language#humor in language#placeholder words#reading#deep orthography#writing#Hebrew#fluent#English#heritage speakers#spelling#language background#audiobooks#decoding#language classes#conversation skills#fluency grading#flashcards