A Toronto (Canada) study explored how low levels of schooling and literacy affected access of Latin-American adults to aspects of everyday life. Subjects were nine Spanish-speaking men and women, most with little or no formal schooling and varying levels of Spanish literacy. Analysis of data gathered in interviews revealed that the individuals…

Combining qualitative and quantitative approaches, this article examines the language and literacy needs of immigrants to Canada. A Toronto-based case study portrays a group of Latin American adults and their daily uses of English and Spanish. Literacy needs in both languages are noted, as is the contradiction of government commitment to…

An approach based on sociolinguistic theory is reported that was devised to describe the way written language operates in the different domains that make up the everyday lives of a given group of people. The approach involves the practices that the people use to deal with written language, and the perceptions (uses, beliefs, attitudes) they have…