Originally I was going to answer the questions presented about the reading, but upon walking around on campus, something in me changed. I saw heads down, looking at phones, arms waving in gestures of acknowledgement or even in making a statement while telling a story. It would be inaccurate to make a statement that without written word we would not be able to record oral stories or gestures. Yes, we have been recording the written word for as long as we had been able to think to put chisel to tablet. But what about a new way of recording...video. Is it possible in so many ways our ways of communications are coming back to full circle. There will always be a need for oral communication, even as it has evolved. But is not like the written word? There will always be miscommunication whether it is an oral or written communication because we all communicate differently aside firm the language itself.
On the idea of words being created orally, written, then discarded from both aspects, that is the beauty of language in itself. The word “dude” was uttered once, either out of context or created on a whim and then it developed into something it never was born to be. Or the idea of markings losing meaning. Yes, they will. As we develop as a society, we will mutate words to work with our continually growing vocabulary do to our continually growing technology and so forth. Language grows and develops with a society as it does with a student or child. They adapt as they need to consider their surroundings and situation. I think that as we communicate orally, we will always continue to have a written word as well because it is in our nature to need to have a way to communicate on as many levels as possible. if we can say a word, we will find a way to write that word. Oral and written vocabulary is synonym in the sense that to have one you will ultimately find the other, whether it be a symbol or a word or a sign for what word. We will always have another way of saying/writing something. The beautiful thing about this then becomes the meaning of the word “literate” and what does “literacy actually mean? Can you be literate in coding, but not be able to read a text book? Can you be literate in oral speaking and yet not know how to read? Is literacy or lack there of really such a thing or is it possible that you can be literate in any means of communication?
***I feel like my thoughts are all over the place and I apologize. I was trying to apply the reading to what we see every day and the depth in which communication and literacy goes, but it was hard to put that into exact words without rambling...which I feel like I already have.
Hey Kyleen! Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the reading. I enjoy your candidness too, so no apology necessary if you're feeling like it was scattered!
ReplyDeleteI especially like the part where you say, "Language grows and develops with a society as it does with a student or child. They adapt as they need to consider their surroundings and situation." This is so true.
With your questions at the end, I wonder if perhaps you're conflating "literacy" with "competency"? I was asking similar questions when I was reading as well, and I decided that I had declare "literacy" as "competency regarding reading and writing". There are many other competencies, of course, as you mention above...but there's one in particular concerning reading and writing, and this one we call literacy...
Again, nice post. Your wordpress name totally suits you, too!