ABSTRACT
In the previous chapters on the linguistic and cognitive dimensions of literacy, the focus was on the text (code breaker and code maker) and the mind (meaning maker). To a significant extent, we found that both the linguistic and the cognitive dimensions are frequently defined or framed by commonalities or universals. Within any language, a common set of rules governs the operation of the various systems and guides the linguistic forms that texts can take on. Language users within a discourse community have a shared understanding of these rules and are guided by them as texts are encountered, “cracked,” or “coded.” Similarly, language users employ common mental processes and strategies as they construct meanings within a particular written form. The linguistic and cognitive dimensions of literacy, therefore, tend to highlight that which is the same across and among texts, readers, and writers. This is not to say that variation is not part of these dimensions. Variations in the systems of language-dialects-and variations in how texts are constructed based on the language user’s purpose and background were addressed. However, these are variations on a theme rather than entirely new songs.
