Defining Literacy and Discourse

A Discourse: A count term defined as a socially accepted association among ways of using language, thinking, and acting that serves as an "identity kit" to perform a recognized social role.
Ideological Nature: Discourses inherently involve values and viewpoints; adherence to these sets of values is required to be recognized within the discourse.
Resistance to Internal Scrutiny: Discourses dictate what counts as acceptable criticism, making internal critique difficult; criticism typically occurs from the standpoint of another discourse.
Relational and Oppositional: Discourses define their positions in relation to, and often in opposition to, other discourses.
Marginalization: A discourse privileges certain concepts and values while marginalizing those of other discourses.
Dominant Discourses: Discourses that grant access to social goods such as status, money, and power.

Acquisition: A subconscious process of gaining mastery through exposure to models and trial-and-error in functional, natural settings without explicit teaching.
Learning: A conscious process involving explicit teaching, explanation, and analysis that breaks down information into analytic parts.
Performance vs. Meta-knowledge: Acquisition produces effective performance, whereas learning produces meta-level knowledge, analysis, and critical capabilities.

Primary Discourse: The socio-culturally determined oral mode of native language use acquired through primary socialization within the family.
Secondary Discourses: Discourses associated with secondary institutions beyond the family (e.g., schools, workplaces, businesses, churches) that require interaction with non-intimates.
Secondary Uses of Language: Uses of language—written or oral—that extend beyond primary discourse within secondary institutions.

Literacy: Control of secondary uses of language within secondary discourses.
Dominant Literacy: Control of a secondary use of language in a dominant discourse.
Powerful Literacy: Control of a secondary use of language in a secondary discourse that functions as a meta-discourse to critique other discourses.
Mastery: Full and effortless control over a discourse, achieved predominantly through acquisition rather than formal learning.

Socio-Cultural Disparity: Mainstream middle-class children often acquire school-based secondary discourses through home environments, whereas non-mainstream children experience structural conflicts between their primary discourses and dominant secondary discourses.
Role of Acquisition in Pedagogy: Mastery of performance requires natural, functional acquisition settings rather than isolated teaching mechanisms like traditional reading classes.
Role of Learning in Pedagogy: Teaching should focus on developing meta-level cognitive and linguistic skills, enabling students to analyze and critique diverse primary and secondary discourses.