Literacy is communication in all forms.

While sitting in class I contemplated the difference between comprehending and understanding in relation to literacy and concluded that literacy is a much more complicated word than I have ever considered. In my response in class I stated that literacy is the “ability to comprehend, articulate and reproduce a language.” I still believe in this statement, but to what means is “language” defined? After reading other responses in this blog and paying attention in class, the suggestion of body movement as a language is growing on me. Recalling how I act around others physically, I can confidently say that body language is in fact a part of literacy. The ability to understand what a person is saying while concentrating on his or her movements is monumental when engaging in a conversation. Mainly, what I am attempting to articulate is that the spectrum of the term language is so great, that the term literacy also must be, in it’s own right, great as well.  Attempting to formulate a true definition of the term literacy is a bit challenging to me, even though it can easily be found in Webster’s Dictionary. Therefore, I will state that the definition of literacy is communication in all forms possible (human, animal, alien, etc.). Literacy does not discriminate and it certainly shall not be constricted by a working definition created by a mere college undergraduate.