Universal and specific reading mechanisms across different writing systems

Reading of alphabetic writing systems, such as English, has been extensively studied and most theories and models of reading are based on findings from these studies. This practice raises a practical question regarding whether findings from alphabetic writing systems can be extended to other writing systems, such as Korean or Chinese, and a more fundamental question about the universality of reading mechanisms. In this Review, we discuss how findings from different writing systems contribute to an understanding of the universal mechanisms of reading. We first describe the unique properties of different writing systems. Then we review evidence that points to universal mechanisms common to all writing systems, followed by evidence suggesting that readers of different writing systems develop specific perceptual and cognitive mechanisms for efficient reading. These findings suggest that computational models developed for alphabetic reading cannot always account for reading in other scripts. We conclude that studies in non-alphabetic writing systems are valuable in understanding the universal and script-specific mechanisms of reading. Different languages use distinct writing systems, including the alphabetic system used for English, syllabic system for Korean, and logographic system for Chinese. In this Review, Li and colleagues discuss the similarities and differences among writing systems and consider the consequences for universal cognitive mechanisms for reading.