A Future Perspective on Literacy in Europe

Abstract

Processes of unification and internationalization have had a major influence on the concept of literacy throughout Europe. Although there is a great diversity in both the distribution and degree of (il)literacy in different countries, there has been an increasing general awareness of the number of illiterates and the consequences of being illiterate for personal life. One of the consequences of the increasing societal concern about literacy has been the encouragement of new strands of research. Moreover, linguists, psychologists, and educationalists have been involved in a continuing debate on how language can be taught. Research on language education has sought answers to the question of how the development of spoken and written language can be fostered from their origins in early infancy to their mastery as systems of representation for communication with others and for the inner control of thinking and feeling.