Your average citizen of the Galaxy Far, Far Away is illiterate.
This article is great.
http://www.tor.com/2016/02/04/star-wars-bloodline/
"My Friend’s Stupid Idea Just Became Star Wars Canon and I Am So Jealous"
Makes sense really. If tech gets to the point that there's more efficient means of transferring information then the written word, that there would come a point where most people would stop using it.
Edit: But at the same time, I actually have trouble believing that star wars got to that point. I mean in the movies there was places where something was written down.
Also in TFA there' stuff written on helmets and such. Reading over the line the article mentioned, it seems like it's more that people don't write letters then they can't read.
It mentions words written in ink...
Edited by VanorDMThat excerpt doesn't really say that people in the SW universe are illiterate, it is saying that ink and paper is not used.
Which is true, there is no paper shown in any of the SW movies. It's apparently something GL decided to make the setting look more futuristic.
There is lots of writing scattered around the films though, it's just all on electronic screens.
"actual words handwritten in ink" is the key phrase there. As opposed to stenciled, or computer-printed, or on a screen.
There is Aurabesh text fricking everywhere in Star Wars. Clearly people are reading it.
It seems the only person having trouble reading is the author of that article.
Edited by skotothalamosThe comments in the article point out that Luke reads the translation of artoo's beeps in the x-wing on the way to dagobah and Han and leia are reviewing destination options before deciding to go to bespin
"actual words handwritten in ink" is the key phrase there. As opposed to stenciled, or computer-printed, or on a screen.
There is Aurabesh text fricking everywhere in Star Wars. Clearly people are reading it.
It seems the only person having trouble reading is the author of that article.
Yeah, this is what alot of people commenting on this seem to miss.
It's not the fact that there were words written that's the big deal.
It's that they were handwritten in ink on paper.
In a world where you can write notes on flimsiplast that are still digitally printed on it, handwriting and ink is something rarely encountered.
I can't remember the last time I passed something handwritten more substantial than Merry Christmas on a postcard.
This is actually becoming a real life issue. Chinese, Japanese and a few other languages make use of Chinese characters. In the past, children would spend hours practicing the intricate calligraphy of these characters. With advances in technology, the need to be able to hand write these characters is becoming redundant. As a result, many youth cannot hand-write more complex, obscure or less used words.
The art of hand writing is literally disappearing as we speak .. read .. errr, type.
Yeah, that all makes sense. There's still a need for signs and whatnot.
Also, that thing about Japanese and Chinese language becoming an issue for people to know how to write is SUPER interesting.
There's also a study group working to design signs for the future: how do you tell the people a 1000 years from now, or 5000, that this tunnel leads to highly radioactive waste?
Well don't forget the fact that the Japanese are actively trying to cut down on the complex Kanji too. Granted when there are so many thousands of kanji symbols unless you are a Japanese (language), or history professor you probably don't need to know very obscure words that aren't used on a daily or even yearly basis.
Well don't forget the fact that the Japanese are actively trying to cut down on the complex Kanji too. Granted when there are so many thousands of kanji symbols unless you are a Japanese (language), or history professor you probably don't need to know very obscure words that aren't used on a daily or even yearly basis.
Language is contextual. A friend of mine in Aichi owns his own insurance company. He services the large Brazilian population there and most of his staff are required to read and speak high level English, Portuguese and Japanese. Given they are using high level legal documents and policy they are required to pass specific language proficiency tests .. and we'd simply call them salesmen.
That excerpt doesn't really say that people in the SW universe are illiterate, it is saying that ink and paper is not used.
Which is true, there is no paper shown in any of the SW movies. It's apparently something GL decided to make the setting look more futuristic.
There is lots of writing scattered around the films though, it's just all on electronic screens.
the EU books mention 'flimsi', which I've always equated to paper of a sort. The TPS Report cover letter of the SW galaxy
the EU books mention 'flimsi', which I've always equated to paper of a sort. The TPS Report cover letter of the SW galaxy
Even that is seen as quaint: