Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Lacking a written language: Describes a society, culture, or people that has not developed or does not use a system of writing.
   • Pre-literate: Refers to the stage or condition of a human group before the invention or adoption of writing.

Usage and Examples

• Adjective:
  • Anthropologists study both literate and nonliterate societies to understand human development.
  • The transmission of history in nonliterate cultures relies heavily on oral tradition and storytelling.
  • Many nonliterate societies possess complex systems of knowledge passed down through generations.

Advanced Usage

• Academic Context: The term is used in anthropology, sociology, and history to describe cultures without written records. It is a neutral, descriptive term, though some scholars may prefer alternatives like "pre-literate" or "oral culture" to avoid any implied deficiency.
  • The research compares legal systems in literate and nonliterate communities.

Variants and Related Words

• Pre-literate (adj): Often used synonymously with "nonliterate" to describe a society before the advent of writing.
• Illiterate (adj): Describes an individual within a literate society who cannot read or write. This is distinct from "nonliterate," which describes an entire society's characteristic.
• Oral (adj): Pertaining to spoken communication. A nonliterate society is typically an oral culture.

Synonyms

• Pre-literate
• Unlettered (when referring to a society, though this can be archaic)
• Without writing

Antonyms

• Literate (used of a society that has developed writing)
• Historic (in the specific archaeological sense referring to periods with written records)

Adjective

1. used of a society that has not developed writing