Includes bibliographical references and index.

Part 1. Introduction. A multidimensional view of reading and writing -- Part 2. The linguistic and other sign systems dimension of literacy. The nature of language and other sign systems -- Oral and written language relationships -- Language variation -- Part 3. The cognitive dimension of literacy. The constructive nature of perception -- The reading process -- Understanding written discourse -- The writing process -- Part 4. The sociocultural dimension of literacy. Understanding literacy as social practices -- The authority of written discourse -- Part 5. The developmental dimension of literacy. Constructing the written language system -- Mediating the written language system.

This popular text, now in its fourth edition, 'unpacks' the various dimensions of literacy-linguistic and other sign systems; cognitive; sociocultural; and developmental - and at the same time accounts for the interrelationships among them. Distinguished by its examination of literacy from a multidimensional and interdisciplinary perspective, it provides a strong conceptual foundation upon which literacy curriculum and instruction in school settings can be grounded.

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