Linguistic features of the reading process are described and used as a basis for some conclusions about the teaching of reading in a foreign language. For purposes of illustration, this discussion centers around the teaching of English reading skills to speakers of Japanese. The peculiarities of reading as a system of communication are outlined. Furthermore, assumptions are made about the problems involved in learning to read the alphabetic, syllabic, and logographic writing wystems, with special attention given to the English alphabet system. To assure genuine success in the later controlled and free reading stages of reading skill development, this article suggests methods of strengthening the preliminary instruction of the relationship of phonological patterns to the written representation of utterances through oral reading drills. (AF)