Linguistic Word Mapping
Linguistic mapping in the field of phonics is the bidirectional mapping between a word’s phonemes and graphemes for reading and spelling, with a central focus on how the speaker pronounces the sounds. This isn’t always prioritised within synthetic phonics programmes. Linguistic code mapping is therefore a natural partner to speech and language therapy, as both focus on speech sounds, including when the child isn’t producing spoken words.
Phonemies® make this possible. Children can work with visible representations of the phonemes and THEN connect them to the pictures of the sounds, i.e. the graphemes.
This is so different because phonics usually makes speech sounds visible through graphemes. Letters are introduced first and used to show the sounds, which can allow the spelling to influence how the phonemes are identified and mapped.
Phonemies® create a separate visual layer. Each phoneme can be seen, identified, ordered and manipulated before it’s connected to a grapheme. The three-year-old child doesn’t need to recognise letters, know the relevant GPCs or produce the spoken word to work with its phonological structure, as shown above. A five-year-old may engage with linguistic mapping differently because they’ve had more exposure to graphemes, but age itself is irrelevant. Activities can offer bonding experiences between children while uniquely meeting each child’s linguistic learning needs.
The process starts with the sounds, not with a programme’s predetermined graphemes or pronunciation. Children can then connect those visible phonemes to the graphemes, in either direction, for reading or spelling. This is schema-driven.
That’s what makes it a bridge between speech and language therapy and literacy instruction. The speech sounds remain central, while the graphemes are introduced as the pictures that represent them. Children can use linguistic mapping at any age and with any words. This is at the heart of the Show the Code™ approach and is different from anything else currently available.
This is only made possible by the Ortho-GraphiX® algorithm and Phonemies®, the phonetic symbols that can be used from birth.
If they don't yet know the Monster Sounds and you don't have MyWordz.tech, use the Monster Spelling Piano app ‘Phonemies®’ screen.
Click the Speech Sound Monster® to hear its sound.
💷 One-time price: £14.95
📲 Download on iPad (Apple):
https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/monster-spelling-piano/id6717616998📲 Download on Android (Google Play):
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.edcode.msp
🏫 Schools: 50% discount available via Apple School Manager (for 20+ orders).
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We Show the Code across all of our courses, showing which letters are graphemes and their sound values using Phonemies® (Phonetic Symbols for Kids). This is the foundation of reading and spelling and helps unlock self-teaching.
With the exception of MySpeekie®, where the primary purpose is AAC and communication, the core purpose of our courses is the same: to help every child start self-teaching reading and spelling as quickly and easily as possible.
How we achieve that will look very different depending on the child, their stage of development, what they already know and the context in which they are learning.
That might mean working with a toddler who already has strong phonemic awareness, supporting 25 children working at different stages in a Reception classroom, helping a child with an EHCP who has struggled with synthetic phonics, or supporting an older child with dyslexia who is unable to keep up with age-related reading and spelling demands.
The destination is the same: children who have developed the word-mapping skills they need to become self-teaching readers and spellers, so that they can work out unfamiliar words, check their mapping when they need to, and retain new words for future reading and spelling.
We want every child to reach that point as quickly and easily as possible, with as much explicit instruction as they need, and no more.