Reasons for misunderstanding the text

1.

Musabay M.M. Malokhov V.V.
Scientific adviser; Valova M.V.
Classical School №3 for gifted children

2.

The comprehensibility of the text is a characteristic of the text, depending on its lexical, syntactic, graphic,
intonational and other features.
Text comprehension is considered within the framework of linguistics as an activity of the reader , which
influenced by factors that depend on linguistic and emotional competence , professional sphere, age, social status,
as well as the result of activity. No matter how complex or easy the text may seem, but its understanding also
depends on the reader's ability to understand.
“In general, the consciousness of a person who perceives and processes information can be represented
as a kind of filter that lets some messages through completely, deforms others, and completely discards
others”.
I. M. Dzyaloshinskiy

3.

1. Proper names (names of attractions Tower (Тауэр), White Tower (Белый Тауэр), Whitehall Palace (Дворец
Уайтхолл), etc., historical events and cultural realities Trooping the Color (Вынос знамени), etc.) remain
incomprehensible due to low cultural competence and knowledge of the culture of the country.
2. Polysemantic words (go past – проходить мимо, not «проходить в прошлом") can be difficult depending on
which dictionary is used for translation and on the reader's skill in using the dictionary.
3.
Archaisms, historicisms, foreign words, special terminology can also be the reason for the
incomprehensibility of the text, even if it is written in the native language.

4.

The length of the sentence and its complex syntax.
«Thus, for an event like September 11th that affected a diverse set of cultural and ethnic groups, our
lack of knowledge about the cross-cultural validity of western measures and the absence of culturally
sensitive measures for most of the affected populations limit what can be learned from current
research».
This sentence is difficult to understand, as it
contains common members of the sentence
long subordinate clauses
the number of words in it makes memory difficult

5.

The conceptual component is the knowledge of the culture referred to in the text, the idea of cultural
values, behavior patterns adopted in the culture or subculture. Cultural differences can become a stumbling
block in understanding.
«Miss Caroline began the day by reading us a story about cats. The cats had long conversations with one
another, they wore cunning little clothes and lived in a warm house beneath a kitchen stove. …Miss Caroline
seemed unaware that the ragged, denim-shirted and floursack -skirted first grade, most of whom had
chopped cotton and fed hogs from the time were able to walk, were immune to imagination» («To kill a
mocking bird», Lee Harper).
This excerpt shows the cultural inconsistencies and different perceptions of living standards among people
in the Americas in the 19th century North and South, as well as the class differences of these people..

6.

Thus, the text may contain a different number of complexities (lexical, syntactic, etc.) and therefore be
only to some extent understandable to the reader.
Creating the most understandable texts is an important task in various areas of human life: education,
advertising, writing instructions and laws, etc.

7.

1. Demyankov, V.Z. Interpretation, understanding and linguistic aspects their computer
simulation / V.Z. Demyankov. – M.: Publishing House of Moscow University, 1989. – p.
155-157.
2. Dzyaloshinskiy I.M. Russian media in the election campaign: efficiency lessons / I.M.
Dzyaloshinsky. – M .: Studio "Vikon", 1996. – 128 p.
3. Sunshiny, D.D. To the question of the adequacy of understanding and interpretation
foreign text / D.D. Sanzhina // Text interpretation: linguistic, literary and methodological
aspects: materials III International scientific conf. (Chita, December 10-11, 2010). –
Chita: Transbaikal. State gum. ped. un-t, 2010. – p. 399-402
4. DeJong, G.F., Waltz D.L. Understanding novel language / G.F. DeJong, D.L. Waltz // N.
Cercone ed. Computational linguistics. – Pergamon, 1983. – P. 131–147.
5. Flesch, R. A New Readability Yardstick / R. Flesh // The Journal of Applied Psychology.
– Jun 1948. – Vol 32(3). – P. 221–233
6. Pinker, S. Language as instinct / S. Pinker. – M.: LIBROKOM, 2009. – 456 p.