Why does Letterland teach letter sounds before letter names?
It is easier if the sounds of the letters of the alphabet are taught before the names. The reason for this is that not one of the twenty-one consonants ever says its alphabetical name in reading. Furthermore, no less than sixteen alphabet names actually begin with the sound of another letter – i.e. see (c), eff (f), aitch (h), ell (l), em (m), en (n), cue (q), are (r), ess (s), you (u), double-you (w), ex (x), why (y) – making these traditional letter names quite confusing for many young beginners once they move on to learning the letter sounds. For example, knowing how to say the letter names ’emm-you-ess-tee’ does not help a child to read the word must, but knowing the sounds ‘mmm-uh-sss-t’ prepares a child for putting the sounds together swiftly to give them meaning as a whole word.
