Reading vs Literacy
Reading and Literacy are two words that are often confused when it comes to their meanings and connotations. Strictly speaking, the two words are different since they convey different meanings. The word ‘reading’ is used in the sense of ‘interpretation’, and this is basically the reason why a reader in a college or a university is an educator who interprets texts with ease.
On the other hand, the word ‘literacy’ is often used in the sense of ‘ability to read and write’. This is the main difference between the two words. It is interesting to note that the word ‘literacy’ is mainly concerned with the reading and writing ability of a person or a group of persons.
It is quite normal that literacy is calculated in terms of a state or a community. Thus, the literacy a particular state or a county is calculated based upon the reading and the writing ability of the people of the particular county or a state. If the literacy of a particular state is good then most of the people of the state can read and write in their native language. It is a general belief that a person who can sign his name in a given language contributes to the literacy of the state.
On the other hand reading is nothing but interpreting passages of a text. Reading is done during poetry sessions. The poet who has composed verses normally reads them during reading sessions. There will also be interactions between the poet and the audience in appreciation of the poetry composed by the poet.
Reading dispels doubt about the validity of assertions made in a text book. Interpretation is in fact done only with the intention of removing apprehensions in the minds of the listeners. These are the differences between reading and literacy.