ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the terms literacy, second language, multiliteracies, and second language literacy and proposes that variables such as digital and programming code are Second Language Literacies (L2Ls). In essence, L2L skills are promoted as a key to success in Mexico at the expense of the L1. Literacy learning in English and in English as a second language, especially reading, appears to have received the most research attention over the years. In Hong Kong, until recently, students learned to read Cantonese by a system that involved drill and rote memorization of classic Chinese characters using a "flash card" approach that begins at about age three for many students. Learners involved in instruction of a language other than their home languages generally have lower L2L achievement. Lewis et al. report that there are 179, 000 native English speakers in India, but there are also 11, 021, 610 English L2 speakers.
