Sat Nov 29, 2008 5:27 am by Butch
There's was an argument out there that literacy has a lot to do with cultural literacy. Sounding out a word, looking it up in a dictionary don't always add to understanding context.
My wife learned English over the last 15 years. She reads about 2-3 books a week. She still has problem words, but most she can just look up. Some concepts need to be translated to words disconnected from their english meaning because the sum of the words do not translate to a correct translation.
If you speak a couple foreign languages, it's a constant challenge. Kids who grow up in Scientology are culturally ignorant for the most part, except as regards the vocabulary and general language skills necessary skills to communicate. I was one of those kids. I understood so little, and they didn't understand me.
I don't think these kids are generally so much illiterate as ignorant. Have them read regs and course work crap and they can fly through it. But many american's can read a book sprinkled with common german and french phrases and then translate what they read? What about latin? My mom went to a catholic school where latin is mandatory. I speak 5 languages and my wife speaks six. When it comes to latin though, we ask her for a translation. (word for word translations have many meanings.)
Are we illiterate because my mother and aunt can easily read stories full of latin? Is a Scientologist illiterate because he doesn't know how to interpret "pearls before swine." He can look up the words, but it doesn't give it the proper meaning without it's context.
During an Honors English class, I was asked to read the bible. I was in the tenth grade and just out of Co$. Needless to say, I wasn't interested, especially because it was summer reading that included Greek mythology and a bunch of what I considered crap at the time. My teacher convinced me to read it because she said all european and u.s. literature before 1940 always included some references to the bible, or the absence of such references was meaning full too. She told me I wouldn't understand much without that basis. So I did it. It's come in handy everyday of my life. I dislike christianity, but at least I know the crap they often quote to justify doing what they want.
My wife has never read anything about christianity. She grew in Yugoslavia religion free. (with the exception of Tito worship). Any references to Greek gods or greek mythology she gets. Anything christian takes hours to explain because it makes no sense till you have enough information to understand the fairytale. She still can't tell Peter from Paul, Elijah from Moses. Why should she?
Cultural literacy. It makes a lot of difference in your reading. That's why learning another language is more than just memorizing verbs and nouns and their meanings. Why should english be any different?
I'll take drugs over religion any day of the week.