When did they learn to read?

[Kalimac]

Burrahobbit, I like the sign [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img].

Thanks for the answers, guys - I find that I'm leaning towards the "If you don't like it, you can get on with it" view that the signs were an effort to bully people into learning to read or if that failed, to cow them with the fact that there was important information there that they couldn't understand.

Which gives rise to a curious aspect - universal literacy is general seen as a positive development. While I'm not saying that Tolkien endorsed a low literacy rate, isn't it interesting that in this case, increased (forced) literacy is used not as a way to expand peoples' worlds, but to box them in more tightly? Interesting, that, and reminiscent of "He can only mock; he cannot make." Sharkey & Co. had to take something that was inherently good and helpful and twist it around before they were able to subdue the hobbits.