reza: Why is the ability to read enhanced by phonetic symbols? Students of languages learn to read them at the same time as, or before, they learn to speak them; similarly, the written word is often easier to understand than the spoken word. If you know the language well enough to read it, I don't think the ability to pronounce it adds anything to your understanding. Similarly, if you don't understand the written word, I don't know what additional understanding would be gained by the ability to pronounce it.