TEACHING ENGLISH PHONICS TO YOUNG LEARNERS WITH NON-ENGLISH FIRST LANGUAGES: A THEORETICAL DISCUSSION OF POSSIBILITIES AND CHALLENGES

Phonics is widely supported as a foundation for learning to read English, but teaching it to young learners whose first language is not English raises important questions. This paper theoretically discusses whether English phonics can work in early foreign-language settings and what makes its implementation difficult. The discussion focuses on English orthographic complexity, limited English input, phonological awareness, first-language influence, oral vocabulary, and the need to connect decoding with meaningful language use.