- This article is about reading the activity. For the English town, see Reading, England, for other places see Reading.
Reading is the process of retrieving some form of stored information or ideas. These are usually some sort of
representation of language, as symbols to be examined by sight, or by touch (for example Braille). Other types of reading may not be language-based, such as music notation or pictograms. By analogy, in computer science, reading is acquiring of data from some sort of computer storage.
Reading by humans is mostly done from paper (a
dysphemism for such an edition is "dead tree edition"), but other media are used, such as carved stone, chalk on blackboard: anything that can hold a mark. More recently these include computer displays, television and other displays in devices such as mobile
phones.
A requirement for (convenient) reading is a good contrast between letters and
background (depending on colors of letters and background, any pattern or image in the background, and on lighting) and a suitable font size. In the case of a computer screen, not having to scroll
horizontally is important.
The process of recording information to later be read is writing. In the case of
computer and microfiche storage there is the separate step of displaying the
written text. For humans reading is usually faster and easier than writing.
Reading is typically an individual activity, although on occasion a person will read out loud for the benefit of other
listeners. Reading aloud for one's own use, for better concentration, is a form of intrapersonal communication.
Literacy is the ability to read and write; illiteracy is usually caused by not
having had the opportunity to learn these. Apart from that, sufferers of dyslexia
have difficulty reading and/or writing.
About acquiring reading skill, see Reading education.
Learning to read in a language other than your native one, especially in adulthood, may be a rather different process from
learning to read your native language in childhood. For this, see English as an additional language.
Proofreading is a kind of reading for the purpose of detecting typographical errors. Reader's fatigue can sometimes come as a result of reading poorly written work.
|