Essay On Cultural Literacy

American Sign Language, body language, English, Mandarin Chinese, Spanish, and a myriad of programming languages; these are all of the things in which, at one time or another, I attempted to gain literacy. I have always been fascinated with the way people communicate and interact with one another, knowingly or not. Communication, however, is not merely limited to the spoken or written word. In fact, a lot of what we encounter in everyday life does not fall into the traditional realm of language. There are many other things that factor into understanding our society, including culture, relationships, beliefs, and just overall outlooks on life. When we pair these factors with a language, and understand them, we have a cultural literacy. Literacy, at its core, is merely competency in doing something. This can be reading, writing, speaking, dancing, or any number of other things. Literacy has played a defining role in my life, molding me into who I am, supporting me where I am now, and guiding me towards my future. Literacy has greatly impacted my past, molding me into who I am today. When I was younger, I read incessantly. Sometimes, I even read two books in one day, each numbering a few hundred pages. I stayed like this until I reached high school, …show more content…
I mentioned previously that my majors will be Spanish and Communications. With programs of study like those, there is a high chance that I will find a job that revolves around literacy. This includes the traditional literacy, reading and writing, and being literate in terms of culture, relationships, and beliefs. Furthermore, if I opt to go to law school, which is a serious possibility, I will regularly use both types of literacy. Legal documents are notorious for their use of confusing syntax and jargon, yet another type of literacy to learn. Nevertheless, I am certain of one thing, the use of my literacy will not escape me in this