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Comprehensive Definition
A Consonant Digraph is a sequence of two adjacent consonants that represent a single phoneme (sound). Crucially, the sound produced by the digraph is not the combination of the two individual letter sounds. Instead, the two letters function as one written unit (grapheme) to signal a unique sound.
In the context of Structured Literacy (SL) and Phonics instruction, Consonant Digraphs are a core part of teaching the Alphabetic Code. Explicitly teaching these units as a single sound is essential for accurate decoding (reading) and encoding (spelling).
Practical Example
The letters 's' and 'h' individually make the sounds /s/ and /h/.
When they appear together in the word 'ship,' the consonant digraph 'sh' represents the single sound /sh/.
Similarly, 'ch' makes the sound /ch/, 'th' makes the sound /th/ (voiced or unvoiced), and 'ph' often makes the sound /f/.
FAQs
Q: What is the difference between a Consonant Digraph and a Consonant Blend?
A: A Consonant Digraph consists of two letters that make one sound (e.g., 'sh' makes /sh/). A Consonant Blend consists of two or three letters where each letter retains its own sound, and the sounds are simply blended together (e.g., 'st' in stop makes the sounds /s//t/).
Q: Why do Consonant Digraphs exist in English?
A: Digraphs often arise to represent sounds that are common in spoken English but for which the Latin-based alphabet does not have a single letter (e.g., the sound /sh/) or due to historical language evolution (e.g., 'ph' from Greek origins to represent the /f/ sound).
Q: When should Consonant Digraphs be introduced in phonics instruction?
A: Consonant Digraphs are typically introduced early in the phonics sequence, after students have a solid grasp of the most common single consonant and short vowel sounds. They are essential for reading early words like ship, chat, and thin.
