什麼是讀寫能力

讀與寫的能力。此一字彙也指涉：透過書寫文字而接觸文學、並獲得教育的基本素養。在古老文明，例如閃族人（Sumerians）和巴比倫人（Babylonians），讀寫能力只有學者和祭司等精英團體才擁有；在希臘和羅馬時代，雖然讀寫能力較為普及，但也僅限於上層階級的成員；在中世紀歐洲，有證據顯示讀寫能力已更廣泛散佈，因為以前口說為憑的功能性檔案逐漸改用書寫，例如奴隸賣身契、及審判的證人供詞等。讀寫能力的普及與社會劇變有緊密關聯，尤其是帶動一般民眾研讀聖經的宗教改革（Protestant Reformation），而科學的發展也有助識字率提升。宗教改革和文藝復興期間，造成讀寫能力普及的重要原因，除了是因為活版印刷術的發展之外，也因為印刷的語言開始採用各地方言，而不再完全是拉丁文。至於強迫義務性的學校教育，則是起源於19世紀的英國和美國，造成了現代工業社會讀寫能力的高普及率。

literacy

Ability to read and write. The term may also refer to familiarity with literature and to a basic level of education obtained through the written word. In ancient civilizations such as those of the Sumerians and Babylonians, literacy was the province of an elite group of scholars and priests. Though more prevalent in classical Greece and Rome, it was often limited to members of the upper classes. The spread of literacy in Europe in the Middle Ages was evidenced by the use of writing for functions once conducted orally, such as the indenture of servants and the notation of evidence at trials. The rise of literacy in Europe was closely tied to great social transformations, notably the Protestant Reformation, which brought individual study of the Bible, and the development of modern science. The spread of literacy during the Reformation and the Renaissance was greatly facilitated by the development of printing from movable type and by the adoption of vernacular languages in place of Latin. Compulsory schooling, established in Britain, Europe, and the U.S. in the 19th century, has led to high rates of literacy in the modern industrialized world.