Subject: Definition of illiterate

Date: 8/21/2022, 4:56 PM

To: Jonathan Mosen <[email protected]>

Hi Jonathan,
You apparently have an incomplete understanding of the definition of the word illiterate.  The following definitions are direct cut and pastes from the identified websites done on August 20, 2022.  Some editing for clarification was done specifically to place sources at the top and immediately next to actual definitions.  If you have any issues with spelling grammar or punctuation of the definitions, you need to consult the website creators.   
Merriam-webster online
Definition of illiterate
1
: having little or no education 
especially : unable to read or write 
//an illiterate population 
2
: showing or marked by a lack of acquaintance with the fundamentals of a particular field of knowledge 
//musically illiterate
3
a
: violating approved patterns of speaking or writing 
b
: showing or marked by a lack of familiarity with language and literature 
//an illiterate magazine
DICTIONARY.COM -- BASED ON THE RANDOM HOUSE UNABRIDGED DICTIONARY
1unable to read and write: 
an illiterate group.
2having or demonstrating very little or no education.
3showing lack of culture, especially in language and literature.
4displaying a marked lack of knowledge in a particular field: 
The Free Dictionary -- American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language
unable to read and write; having little or no formal education: He has a lot of native intelligence but he is illiterate.
Please note that two of the main or first definitions place the concept of being uneducated on par with inability to read and write.  Your attempt to restrict the definition of illiterate in episode 193 of Mosen at large was and is arbitrary. 
I have to make a digression to make my next point.  Lexicographers are people who study words.  They are often the writers of dictionaries.  If not the actual writers, they are the experts that dictionary writers call on for actual word definitions.  Lexicographers place the definitions of words in two main categories: denotative and connotative.  Most of the definitions that denote the meaning of a word are found in dictionaries in the English language.  The  connotative definitions for Words in the English language are not usually actually defined.  They are given as synonyms and found in thesauruses.  Please note that among the most common synonyms for illiterate is ignorant.  Anyone can do their own online searches to verify my statement about ignorant being a synonym for illiterate.  Your attempt to avoid the connotation of ignorant for illiterate in episode 193 was seriously misleading.
Best Regards,
Ken
Sacramento – California