I have been reminded/learned that language and literacy are not inherently dependent upon one another. As a nurse and soon to be instructor I take care of many ESL and non-English speaking people. I have to remind myself that just because they cannot write or read in English, does not indicate in any way they are illiterate. Just as someone who speaks fluent, competent English, they can be illiterate or not have an elevated sense of reading and writing in their primary language. I also learned that bi/multilingual people SHOULD utilize their known languages to help learn English.
