non-literate
non-literate — adjective
1. not able to read or write, especially because someone never went to school
not able to read or write, especially because someone never went to school
Beatriz was non-literate, so her granddaughter read the bus timetable aloud to her.
predicative: be non-literate
Many non-literate adults in the village relied on picture signs to find the clinic.
attributive: non-literate + people noun (adults)
The charity teaches non-literate farmers to read simple labels on seed packets.
Sven stayed non-literate until a patient teacher helped him sign his own name.
Hana arrived as a refugee and was non-literate in both English and Spanish.
- illiterate
more common but can sound blaming or negative
- unlettered
old-fashioned and literary; suggests lack of schooling
- literate
able to read and write
文法句型
non-literate + noun
用法筆記
Often chosen instead of 'illiterate' in formal, educational, or charity writing because it states the fact without sounding like a judgement on the person.
常見錯誤
2. (of a group or society) using no system of writing, so its history and skills ar
(of a group or society) using no system of writing, so its history and skills are passed on by speaking rather than in books
The anthropologist spent two years living with a non-literate community in the mountains.
attributive: non-literate + community / society
In non-literate cultures, elders pass on stories and history through songs.
non-literate cultures share knowledge by speaking
Maeve studied how one non-literate tribe remembered its laws without any books.
For centuries the island people stayed non-literate, trusting memory instead of paper records.
Cyrus argued that a non-literate society can still create rich poetry and music.
- preliterate
stresses a culture before writing developed; non-literate is broader
- oral
as in 'oral culture'; focuses on speech-based tradition
- literate
having and using a written language
文法句型
non-literate + noun
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: this sense describes whole groups or cultures with no writing system, not a single person's inability to read.