# Orality and Literacy Poll **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 10, 2015, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orality-and-literacy-poll/722162 "2015-06-10T14:23:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![snipermedic89](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f04885/32.png) [@snipermedic89](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snipermedic89)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2015, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orality-and-literacy-poll/722162/1 "2015-06-10T14:23:00Z")
Should institutions of higher learning be focused on orality and literacy? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2015, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orality-and-literacy-poll/722162/2 "2015-06-10T14:25:13Z")
Reported. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2015, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orality-and-literacy-poll/722162/3 "2015-06-10T14:30:07Z")
If you have one, you don’t really need the other. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2015, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orality-and-literacy-poll/722162/4 "2015-06-10T14:31:57Z")
Edited out the link, I see. ---
**Author:** ![snipermedic89](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f04885/32.png) [@snipermedic89](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snipermedic89)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2015, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orality-and-literacy-poll/722162/5 "2015-06-10T14:35:05Z")
Yes that is my fault I just read it wasn’t allowed. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2015, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orality-and-literacy-poll/722162/6 "2015-06-10T15:15:27Z")
> [@snipermedic89](#): > > Should institutions of higher learning be focused on orality and literacy? I’m really not sure what the question is. What do you mean “focused on?” I suppose students should be aware of the concepts (although I have never heard the term “orality” before this thread, and I have 19 years of formal education). Students should be able to listen, speak, write and read. I imagine your question is getting at something else, however. ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2015, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orality-and-literacy-poll/722162/7 "2015-06-10T19:53:22Z")
Certainly college students often practice their orality. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2015, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orality-and-literacy-poll/722162/8 "2015-06-10T19:56:13Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > If you have one, you don’t really need the other. And if you don’t have the one, you definitely need the other. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2015, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orality-and-literacy-poll/722162/9 "2015-06-10T21:48:21Z")
If “Orality is thought and verbal expression in societies where the technologies of literacy (especially writing and print) are unfamiliar to most of the population,” then no, it is not needed in the U.S. Specific exceptions can be made, like sign-language for the deaf, but literacy is the key transmitter of knowledge in the modern industrialized democracies. We might get our news headlines from the radio, but we get our understanding of current issues from reading. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2015, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orality-and-literacy-poll/722162/10 "2015-06-16T03:23:02Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > Certainly college students often practice their orality. I know it’s a bit old, but this comment should not go by without recognition. Kudos, kid.