Abstract:

Reading skills are highly relevant for learning and teaching processes; it is considered one of the most important skills for academic career progress. There are many processes involved in this skills, one of them is phonology. Studies showing the positive effects of training in phonemic awareness in primary education are numerous. In the majority of studies that have explored the link between phonology and reading development, the focus has been restricted to segmental phonology. However, the prosody or suprasegmental phonology is another phonological subsystem that has received less attention. We talk about suprasegmental elements to designate the set of phonic phenomena such as intonation, accent, pauses or rhythms, affecting longer than the phoneme and contribute to the transmission segment. Recently, a growing number of researchers have explored the influence of prosody as another linguistic skill that may influence reading acquisition; however, training programs in prosodic sensitivity are scarce especially in Spanish language. Therefore, the aim of this work is to design a training program to improve prosodic skills sensitivity in primary school children. The program falls into four dimensions of prosody: intonation, accent, pauses and rhythm. With training in these dimensions is expected to contribute to the development of language among students, especially those having difficulties.

Keywords:

Prosodic sensitivity, reading comprehension, suprasegmental phonology skills.