Korean Job Discussion Forums

[mack the knife]

Everyone is always on about how great Hangul is and how Koreans are all literate because of it. Nonsense.

Myth: Busted.

http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/edu_lit_tot_pop-education-literacy-total-population

[Bibbitybop]

While that is good info, you need to show the literacy rate before and after Hangul was introduced. The common claim is not that Hangul makes Koreans more literate than the rest of the world, but that is made Koreans more literate than when Chinese was used in Korea.

[gang ah jee]

It says that North Korea is 8th equal worldwide for literacy, South Korea is 16th equal with Spain. I wouldn't really call that 'for crap'.

[JeJuJitsu]

[RACETRAITOR]

[Gwangjuboy]

[Qinella]

North Korea has a higher literacy rate? That's really hard to believe. I don't know how trustworthy those numbers are.

[gang ah jee]

[billybrobby]

Mack, you are just willfully turning a blind eye to the rather obvious difficulties in judging literacy across hundreds of different languages.

You found a stat you liked and instead of presenting it for what it is, and you make some high-handed proclamation like "Myth: Busted".

To me, and I would think anybody who gave it a moment's thought, the technical problems associated with creating a universal standard of literacy are great enough that a few percentage points of difference on that chart are not enough indicate a definite real-world difference.

If you disagree, then come up with a standard test of literacy that would be equally effective for any language and any culture. And then hope it was used when those stats were created.

[RACETRAITOR]

DEFINITION: This entry includes a definition of literacy and Census Bureau percentages for the total population, males, and females. There are no universal definitions and standards of literacy. Unless otherwise specified, all rates are based on the most common definition - the ability to read and write at a specified age. Detailing the standards that individual countries use to assess the ability to read and write is beyond the scope of our source. Information on literacy, while not a perfect measure of educational results, is probably the most easily available and valid for international comparisons."

[Vancouver]

97.9 is pretty darn good

[peony]

i find it hard to believe that 99% of americans are literate, where does west virginia and tennessee factor in?

[peony]

[stevemcgarrett]

peony:

If that's what it says about the American literacy rate, you're right.

The number of recent Mexican immigrants, many illegal, who don't read or write in English alone would drop that number considerably.

[JeJuJitsu]