Here's a source for my claim of a deeper meaning for literacy. Usage Note: For most of its long history in English, literate has meant only= =93familiar with literature,=94 or more generally, =93well-educated,= learned.=94 Only since the late 19th century has it also come to refer to= the basic ability to read and write. Its antonym illiterate has an equally= broad range of meanings: an illiterate person may be incapable of reading a= shopping list or unable to grasp an allusion to Shakespeare or Keats. The= term functional illiterate is often used to describe a person who can read= or write to some degree, but below a minimum level required to function in= even a limited social situation or job setting. An aliterate person, by= contrast, is one who is capable of reading and writing but who has little= interest in doing so, whether out of indifference to learning in general or= from a preference for seeking information and entertainment by other means.= =B7More recently, the meanings of the words literacy and illiteracy have= been extended from their original connection with reading and literature to= any body of knowledge. For example, =93geographic illiterates=94 cannot= identify the countries on a map, and =93computer illiterates=94 are unable= to use a word-processing system. All of these uses of literacy and= illiteracy are acceptable. http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=3Dliterate Humberto Barreto