# How do illiterate people survive in modern society? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 6, 2013, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-illiterate-people-survive-in-modern-society/660259 "2013-06-06T01:48:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2013, 8:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-illiterate-people-survive-in-modern-society/660259/82 "2013-09-28T08:43:26Z")
Reported. ---
**Author:** ![Whitney\_Harper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f0a364/32.png) [@Whitney\_Harper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whitney_Harper)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2013, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-illiterate-people-survive-in-modern-society/660259/83 "2013-09-28T09:09:54Z")
People were built for survival. In addition, I recently stayed at a hotel and had to ask the housekeeper who was cleaning my room a question, and she did not understand. It was no problem, but I think a lot of women get these type of jobs. Nothing wrong with these types of jobs. In addition, it is hard work cleaning many hotel rooms a day, and I always leave them above what is the standard tip rate. They deserve it. ---
**Author:** ![davida03801](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5e925/32.png) [@davida03801](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davida03801)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2013, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-illiterate-people-survive-in-modern-society/660259/84 "2013-09-28T10:18:34Z")
Years ago I worked at a place and one of the top foreman was illiterate. I was 2 years in before I actually knew this This was in construction and the man was fine with rulers, measurements, and the like but he was totally not able to read. However he was a hard worker, good with the men, always got things done on time, and was very conscientious on the quantity of work. For assignments, the Super just explained carefully to him what needed to be done and made sure any layout was already there when that was needed. His wife kept track of the money in the house, and his paychecks. I distinctly recall one phone call from her checking up one paycheck. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2013, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-illiterate-people-survive-in-modern-society/660259/85 "2013-09-28T13:00:10Z")
A very large number of people from Europe and American go to places where Chinese or Arabic are spoken, and learn to speak the language fairly well, without ever learning to read anything printed in their alphabet. They get along fine, not being able to read is not a serious handicap. Blind people are also illiterate, and it is far from being the most compelling of disabilities ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2013, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-illiterate-people-survive-in-modern-society/660259/86 "2013-09-28T13:29:19Z")
> [@Kevbo](#): > > On the “How can anyone be illiterate” question: > > One thing that I think really helped me to learn to read quickly was that my Mom very insistent that only standard English be spoken in our home. Slang was frowned on, and “baby talk” was expressly forbidden. > > It makes it a lot harder to learn to read when you have to remember that “spoze” needs to be spelled suppose and that “worsh” is spelled wash.\* Not quite as bad a learning a new language, but heading in that direction. If your culture has a strong dialect (thinking ebonics here) then it is more troublesome. For some kids, reading standard american English might as well be Shakespeare. > > I think this is one of the best arguments for trying to lock down and standardize language, rather than the “living language” approach. At some point we need to be able to communicate with each other, both across space and time. The faster language changes, the harder that becomes. > \*that one my Mom actually was guilty of. Some things you just can’t unlearn! I too grew up in a family that eschewed baby words. My mother used to tell a story about me at the age of three in a railway station. My aunt, seeing the train approaching, said, “Oh look, there’s a choo choo.” (We had steam engines then) Apparently I turned to her, with my hands on my hips, and announced in a loud voice. “That’s not a choo choo, that’s a train.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-illiterate-people-survive-in-modern-society/660259.md?page=4)