Literacy in the overall SIL program

Literacy in the overall SIL program

Introduction
	Literacy is an independent and valid effort in and of itself. For SIL, however, literacy is usually one component of a larger program which includes linguistic analysis, community service, language development, and translation.

Relationships between activities
	The dependency relationships between literacy and other program components are not always clear or consistent. There are, however, some principles that apply to these relationships:
	If literacy is needed in a program, it should be initiated as early as possible. A successful literacy program must count upon a high degree of community ownership and involvement. Motivation for literacy cannot be assumed. Often, there must be a vigorous "selling" effort to motivate people to literacy. Good literacy must be based upon suitable linguistic and cultural knowledge of the participating community. Any program which is to be ongoing and long lasting must give attention to training and institution building. Literacy program planning must go beyond the cognitive skill of reading to the applied practice of reading. Under average circumstances, it will probably take 7-12 years to move from initial literacy activities to an ongoing, self-sustaining program of community literacy. In most contexts today, literacy in a language of wider communication must be a part of any basic literacy effort.

How program activities coincide

How, then, does literacy fit with the other components of an SIL program? Consider the following table that shows how different program activities coincide over the life of a typical program.

Activity	Getting started 0-2 years	Settling in 2-6 years	Hitting full stride 6-10 years	Winding down 10-15 years
Language and culture assimilation	Initial assimilation	Basic competence	Solid competence	Fully professional
Linguistic work
Phonology	Mostly done	Done
Morphology	Good start	Mostly done	Done
Syntax	Started	Good start	Mostly done
Higher levels	Minimal	Started	Good start	Mostly done
Translation work	None	A little	Getting going	Intense
Literacy	Reading readiness Motivational materials Experimentation	Training Pilot classes	Full program	Institutionalization

Context for this page:

Fact module: Literacy in the overall SIL program
In overview module: Literacy in SIL, by Stephen L. Walter
In overview module: The big picture in literacy, by Stephen L. Walter
In modular book: Prepare for a literacy program, by Stephen L. Walter, Mary Morgan, and Leah B. Walter
In bookshelf: Literacy

This page is an extract from the LinguaLinks Library, Version 4.0, published on CD-ROM by SIL International, 1999. [Ordering information.]

Page content last modified: 1 October 1999