Opening up new perspectives in the study of literacy, this book presents 25 essays that bring together current research findings from linguistics, psychology, sociology, and anthropology. Essays in the book discuss theoretical questions related to the definition and modeling of the construct of functional literacy; the notion of literacy development; literacy in developing societies; literacy in industrialized societies; and promotion of functional literacy through education. After an introduction ("Modeling and Promoting Functional Literacy" by Ludo Verhoeven), essays in the book are "Literacy, Myths and Legacies: Lessons from the History of Literacy" (Harvey J. Graff); "The Construct of Oral and Written Language" (Claire Blanche-Benveniste); "Text Processing and Its Relevance for Literacy" (Leo Noordman and Wietske Vonk); "Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Literacy" (Brian Street); "Functional Literacy in a Changing World" (Kenneth Levine); "Literacy and the Making of the Western Mind" (David R. Olson); "The Cognitive Psychology of Literacy: Some Basic Findings" (Paul Bertelson and Beatrice de Gelder); "Socio-Cultural Determinants of Literacy Development" (Paul Leseman); "The Social Impact of Literacy" (David Barton); "Linguistic Diversity and Literacy Development" (Ludo Verhoeven); "Problems and Pseudo-Problems in Literacy Development: Focus on Latin America" (Emilia Ferreiro); "Continua of Biliteracy: Quechua Literacy and Empowerment in Peru" (Nancy Hornberger); "Literacy Education and Gender: The Case of Honduras" (Monique van der Westen); "Literacy and Development in South-East Asia" (Chander J. Daswani); "Literacy and Development in Africa: The Case of Tanzania" (Josephine Yambi); "Writing Systems and Literacy: The Alphabetic Myth Revisited" (Florian Coulmas); "Assessment of Adult Literacy Levels: The Dutch Case" (Cees Doets); "Emergent Literacy and Education" (Clotilde Pontecorvo); "Towards a Taxonomy of Early Literacy Difficulties" (Aryan van der Leij); "Dialogue Systems and Interactive Literacy Instruction" (Don Bouwhuis and Harry Bunt); "A Comparative Perspective on Functional Literacy Levels" (William Loxley); "Towards a Socio-Cultural Model of Literacy Education" (Leo Dubbeldam); "The Question of Functionality in Literacy: A Systematic Approach" (Jennifer Hammond and Peter Freebody); "Literacy for Work Programs" (Jan Ooijens); and "Literacy in a Global Perspective: The Year 2000 and Beyond" (Daniel Wagner). (RS)