Exactly. When the spoken word is processed to meaning in the brain, it is not processed phoneme by phoneme, but employs bottom up processing. It is perceived as a whole sound. Like wise with the written word. When we look at a written word, it is not processed letter by letter, or syllable by syllable, but as a shape made up of the different letters. When we process a sign, we do not break it down into each individual handshape, placement, and movement, but pprocess it in its entirety. When we force a child to process phoneme by phoneme, we impede not only speed of comprehension, but overall comprehension as well by overloading the system.
