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Tomas Sanchez
Nancy Roche
WRTG 1010-013
September 30 2014
Why literacy changes
The literacy practice explained in A social theory of literacy is the idea that involves
social practices and the practice of cultural ways by using literacy that changes over time. A
person incorporated with many domains gains an understanding while also transferring literacy
events between one another. Barton and Hamilton explain that literacy practices are the cultural
ways of utilizing literacy which people are drawn to.
Barton and Hamilton also explains that literacy events are mixtures of written and
spoken language while also involving culture. Barton states that people use written language in
an integrated way as part of a range of semiotic systems (9). From my understanding he says
that its involved in many things that are not incorporated with literacy like musical notations or
maps. Barton also states that there arent different literacy events but that there are different
types of literacies (10). He gives the examples that film and computers are not the same thing;
they maybe similar but never the same. An example from my personal experience is that when
you speak Spanish your wording would change from English like saying blue car would change
to car blue. Transitioning from each event you notice that no of them are similar and have their
own distinct area.
So you have to go into more details about how these things change, which brings up the
topic of domains. You do not use the same writing and language in your own home as you do in
school. Barton uses Gee to help him explain the fact that all domains are different in their sort

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of way, when you are in a domain all your actions change and you do different things to prepare
for each one (11). An example I know from experience when playing soccer you would wear
shorts, cleats, and shin guards. Which is different than tennis where you do not need cleats or
shin guards but a racket and shoes that stick to the padding in the court.
Groups of these people start to come together with similar practices seen from the
example above it soon becomes discourse communities. Where Barton and Hamilton explain that
a group of people have the same ways of talking, acting, and using written language. You should
never incorporate home and community as the same thing they may have a lot in common but
they still have some things that differ including the things that you do in public compared to
things that are done in private. Domains have their own practices but everyone has an origin of
domain. Domains can still be influenced by outside sources or other domains; school for
example is an institution that is the foundation of your home domain while giving literacy
practice. In doing so you bring outside domains into your home causing it to make a great impact
on what you do.
Barton and Hamilton explain that Literacy practices are culturally constructed to the point
where they become a part of history and it changes over time. They change to the everyday lives
of the people using them. Someone who would write this paper 10 years ago would write it
differently from me. Literacy practices as Barton and Hamilton state are as fluid, dynamic and
changing as the lives and societies of which that theyre a part of (13). This explains the
example above stating that with change in your life comes change with your literacy.
Barton and Hamilton end with literacy changes peoples lives as they have to learn and
adapt to the everyday lives with literacy (14). Literacy practices, events and domains are an
important part of our everyday lives they are associated with it and help the world progress

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because it helps give standards and ways of life, they serve as a basis to peoples lives, but it
doesnt cover all of their lives so we are not totally influence by it. Literacy practices help give
identity to even those who feel like they dont. While also bringing together those who have the
same interest and ideas.