Question 1: On the basis of your reading, please write in your own words a definition of the
concept of 'Voice'. Further, drawing on your reading of Victoria's letter, please explain
why and how could Victoria's voice run the risk of 'not being heard'.
The term "voice" pertains to how someone conveys their thoughts, views, and feelings. It
concerns a speaker's capacity to persuade an audience of their intended meaning and message.
To communicate the desired context and goal of the communication, the appropriate language
and tone must be used. The speaker wants to set up the right circumstances for their message to
be heard and interpreted as intended.
In the case of Victoria, her letter is an example of language display, where she is mobilizing the
best possible resources for her act of communication, given her relationship with the recipient
and her aspirations for upward social mobility in Tanzania. The letter, however, is rife with
errors in grammar, punctuation, orthography, and narrative style, which is a reflection of her
struggle with general literacy conventions in English. In a different context, such as Europe, the
text used by Victoria would fail to index elite status and prestige, and the value of her written
English would be deeply different from its value in Dar es Salaam. This highlights the fact that
the indexicalities of "good girl" only work within a local economy of signs, one in which even a
little bit of English could pass for good English.
As a result, Victoria's voice runs the risk of not being heard because the validity of her written
English and the message she wants to convey are dependent on the context and the local
economy of signs. If her text fails to index elite status and prestige, her voice may not carry the
same weight, and her message may not be received with the same importance. The errors in her
writing may detract from the validity of her message, which could be disregarded or not taken
seriously.
Question 2: On the basis of your reading, please write in your own words the
understanding of Literacy to which Cope & Kalantzys do subscribe. While doing so try to
reason why they use the expression multi-literacies, rather than using simply the term
'Literacy'.
Cope and Kalantzis believe in a broad definition of literacy that encompasses more than simply
the ability to read and write words. They contend that traditional concepts of literacy are no
longer useful in a fast-changing society in which many kinds of communication and
representation are becoming increasingly crucial. This is why they use the term "multiliteracies"
rather than "literacy." The phrase "multiliteracies" refers to the various ways in which
individuals interact and engage in society by using language, pictures, and other modes of
representation. It acknowledges the variety of literacies and their interdependence.
Multiliteracies include the ability to communicate using both written and spoken words, visual
and aural cues, as well as digital and non-digital media. This definition of literacy acknowledges
the significance of digital and visual modes of representation and communication, which are
pervasive in today's society. Cope and Kalantzis emphasize the necessity of literacy education to
keep up with the changing world and educate people on the various types of communication they
will face in their personal and professional lives by adhering to a multi-literacies’ framework.
They think that one of the main objectives of education should be the development of
multiliteracies, and that pedagogical strategies should be developed to help achieve this
objective.
Overall, Cope and Kalantzis' conception of literacy is flexible and inclusive and acknowledges
the significance of various media for representation and communication in the contemporary
world.