Literacy and voiced language

[Steve Slevinski]

Dan Parvaz wrote:
> Writing is powerful technology, but I'm not convinced it "improves the 
> quality" of the brain -- you'll have a hard time convincing me that 
> your brain or mine is any better than that of a bushman -- but it 
> certainly allows us to use our brain differently.
>

The difference in brain usage is very significant.
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/lang.html

On that link you'll find 2 animated gifs.  The first shows how the brain 
works when reading & speaking.  The second shows how the brain works 
when hearing & speaking.

With voiced languages, literacy (as in reading and writing) is the 
ability to process language with the Primary Visual Cortex and not the 
Primary Auditory Cortex.

The language center of the brain can receive streams of auditory or 
visual information.  Either the ear or the eye can process language.

If we consider 2 brains: both speak only English; one is literate 
(reading and writing), the other is illiterate.

The marvelous difference is the processing power of the Primary Visual 
Cortex!  Someone who is illiterate in English can not process English 
with their Primary Visual Cortex.

The second marvelous difference is the difference in quantity and 
quality of written language.

It's really interesting to consider that deaf already process 
information with their Primary Visual Cortex.  In theory, it should be 
even easier for deaf to read.  Their Primary Visual Cortex is already 
able to process visual streams, so building new connections should be 
easier.

-Steve
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