c. articulate, speak, pronounce etc.
4
From those definitions above, it is clearly mentioned that reading is needed to obtain some information from a written text and the reader should have some
skills in reading. People sometimes claim that reading is a passive activity, because they
believe that reading is only getting the information. But reading is not truly a passive activity because reading does not only receive information but also
construct the meaning of the written text they read. As like Karen’s book edited by Griffiths
says that reading “….is the concept of meaning construction that characterizes reading not as a passive way of getting information, but as an active
process of constructing understanding.”
5
It can be concluded that reading is an activity that is usually done in the academic or occupational context in achieving its objectives. Reading is also an
activity that the reader needs to build the meaning from the printed text in order to understand the content of the text. To understand it, the reader should have some
skills needed in reading, one of them is recognizing the symbol of language that the reader want to read.
2. The Objectives of Reading
In reading a text, people usually have their own objectives why they read the text. They, sometimes, read it because they need the information from a book,
magazine, newspaper, or something else. They also read it for pleasure, for example, reading a novel. Nunan cited in Linse, there are two objectives why
people read, those are reading for pleasure and reading for information.
6
4
Christine Nuttal, Teaching Reading Skills in a Foreign Language, Oxford: Heinemann, 1989, p. 2
5
Carol Griffiths ed., Lessons from Good Language Learners, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2008, p. 231
6
David Nunan ed., op. cit., p. 72-73
a. Reading for pleasure Reading is a joyful activity when the text that the people read is not a hard
text to be comprehended such as a story. People, usually, read some stories in the form of short stories, novel, or something else. People can read those kinds of text
with pleasure because they should not think hard to understand it. It also consists of easy level of vocabulary.
b. Reading for information Commonly, people’s objective in reading is to get information that they need.
They will read the text if they need its information as like a student who want to know about the content of a book to fulfill his task at school. Level of reader that
usually read for getting information is the reader who can think in high level. For children, they usually read for pleasure.
In addition, Brown also says that reading “… provides information and
pleasure and it is useful and significant part of everyday life.”
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In everyday life, people can not be separated from reading activities. In reading, it understands not
only a written text, but also signs, symbols, or graphic. There are many texts or symbol that people need to complete their activities. For example, people have to
read a letter or a message from their family or friends. They also need to read some signs, symbols, orand graphics to know what they should do when they are
lost at the street. It means that people need to read and they read for their needs. Therefore, it is really useful for the people themselves.
Furthermore, there are also some objectives in reading cited from Grabe. Grabe stated that there are six purposes for reading in academics settings. Firstly,
one of purposes in reading is reading to search for information. To search the information, the reader needs to scan and skim the text. Scanning and skimming
are two of skills in reading. Second purpose in reading is reading for quick understanding. Sometimes, reader needs to read for quick understanding if they
7
Ann Brown, Teaching and Learning Communication, Language, and Literacy, London: Paul Chapman Publishing, 2007, p. 59
