Otherwords show's poster

A Brief History of the Reading Wars?

Otherwords digs deep into this quintessential human trait of language and finds the fascinating, thought-provoking, and funny stories behind the words and sounds we take for granted. Incorporating the fields of biology, history, cultural studies, literature and more, linguistics has something for everyone and offers a unique perspective into what it means to be human.

A Brief History of the Reading Wars?

Season 4 Episode 9 | 8m 35s | CC

When we read our eyes skim the print, we notice the length of the word and maybe the first letter, then our brains use context clues to deduce what the word should be.But is that really how reading works? Believe it or not, this question is at the heart of a decades-long battle in the English-speaking world–a battle that's been raging amongst educators, politicians, and scientists.

Otherwords

Watch more episodes

See more
See more