喜樂美語

核心畫面

A picture you can hold: a page of writing is put in front of someone, and the marks stay marks — the door that letters open for other people is closed for them.

一張寫滿字的紙擺在一個人面前，但那些筆畫對他來說始終只是筆畫，沒有變成話。別人一看就懂的東西，在他眼前是關著的。這個…更多收起一張寫滿字的紙擺在一個人面前，但那些筆畫對他來說始終只是筆畫，沒有變成話。別人一看就懂的東西，在他眼前是關著的。這個字的重點不是聰不聰明——一個不識字的人可能生意做得很精、人情世故看得很透——而是「文字這道門沒有為他打開」。也因為這樣，這個字後來被拿去講各種「沒進過那道門」的狀態。

From the word’s history

Latin littera means 'a letter of the alphabet'; illiteratus was built as in- ('not') + litteratus ('marked with letters, lettered, learned'), so the word literally names someone the letters have not reached.

拉丁文 littera 就是「字母」，litteratus 是「識得字母的、有學問的」，前面加上表示否定的 in-（拼成 il-）就成了 illiteratus。所以這個字從字面上就是「字母沒到他身上」，跟今天的核心畫面完全對得上——同一個 littera 也長出了 letter、literature、literal，看得出來這一家子都圍著「字」打轉。

Wiktionary, entry "illiterate" (from Middle English illiterat, borrowed from Latin illīterātus < in- + līterātus)

Three branches

不識字的人與狀態

核心畫面最字面的一支：文字這道門真的沒為這個人打開，形容詞講狀態，名詞指人。

can't read or write · adjective · C2

Not able to read or write, because you have not learned how — said of adults or older children, not of a young child who is still learning.

不識字

寫出來的東西不通

畫面從人身上移到紙上：門沒打開的痕跡留在文字裡，一看就知道寫的人跟文字不熟。

badly written · adjective · C2

Written in an uneducated way, with many mistakes in spelling, grammar, or wording.

文理不通

某個領域的門外漢

把「讀寫」換成任何一套需要學才懂的符號系統：門還是那道門，只是門後換成了電腦、樂譜、財務或政治。

ignorant of a subject · adjective · C2

Knowing very little about a subject such as computers, music, money, or public life.

一竅不通

原始詞典資料6 筆記錄

以下是外部詞典記錄的用法，原文照列，我們還沒有寫成教學內容。上面的說明才是我們自己寫的；有些用法可能上面已經講過了。

illiterateadj/ɪˈlɪtəɹət/

  • 1

    Unable to read and write.

    • About half of the population in Ethiopia is illiterate.
    • If publique Aſſemblies of Divines cannot agree upon a right vvay, private Conventicles of illeterate men, vvill ſoon finde a vvrong. Bivious demurres breed devious reſolutions. Paſſengers to heaven are in haſte, and vvill vvalk one vvay or other.
  • 2

    Having less than an expected standard of familiarity with language and literature, or having little formal education.

    • Ignorant and ſuperſtitious wretches meaſure the actions of letterd and philoſophical men by the tattle of their nurſes or illiterate parents and companions, or by the faſhion of the country : and people of differing religions judge and condemn each other by their own tenents ; when both of them cannot be in the right, and it is well if either of them are.
    • He's illiterate […] Seriously, how did he get into RI?
  • 3

    Not conforming to prescribed standards of speech or writing.

    • Now (exc. in Nautical language, see b) it is only dialectal or an illiterate substitute for lie, its identity of form with the past tense of the latter no doubt accounting largely for the confusion.
  • 4

    Ignorant in a specified way or about a specified subject.

    • technologically illiterate, economically illiterate, emotionally illiterate

illiteratenoun/ɪˈlɪtəɹət/

  • 1

    An illiterate person, one either not able to read and write or not knowing how.

    • We might also provide education plus reading and writing services to adult illiterates.
  • 2

    A person ignorant about a given subject. (The relevant subject is usually named as a noun adjunct.)

    • Their government is run by business illiterates.
    • Sometimes a mathematical illiterate is called an innumerate.

資料來源：英文維基詞典 English Wiktionary（CC BY-SA 4.0）。 原文照列，未經改寫。