What should a learner start with when learning a new language?

Concept

In early literacy, a learner first connects the written symbols of a language with meaningful spoken or known words.

This letter-to-word association supports recognition and decoding before the learner attempts larger grammatical structures.

Application

Among the offered stages, association between letters and words supplies that foundational connection. Sentence formation and word formation require prior familiarity with the written units being combined.

Contrast

• Formation of sentences is a later stage because it requires vocabulary and grammar to be combined.

• Formation of words assumes that the learner can already recognize the letters being combined.

• None of the above is unsuitable because one listed stage does provide the needed foundation.

Result

Therefore, learning a new language should begin with association between letters and words.