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THE EFFECT OF THE KOREAN NUMBER SYSTEM ON YOUNG CHILDREN'S COUNTING: A NATURAL EXPERIMENT IN NUMERICAL BILINGUALISM
Author(s) -
Song Myung Ja,
Ginsburg Herbert P.
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
international journal of psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.75
H-Index - 62
eISSN - 1464-066X
pISSN - 0020-7594
DOI - 10.1080/00207598808247769
Subject(s) - neuroscience of multilingualism , psychology , cognition , natural (archaeology) , generative grammar , arithmetic , test (biology) , cognitive psychology , mathematics education , linguistics , mathematics , computer science , artificial intelligence , paleontology , archaeology , neuroscience , biology , history , philosophy
In Korea, two number systems are in simultaneous use. One is somewhat irregular (like the English language number system), and the other regular (similar to the Chinese number system). This natural experiment allows a direct test of the hypothesis that structural regularity of the number system facilitates the acquisition of counting. Korean children initially suffer from their numerical ‘bilingualism’: they find it difficult to learn two counting systems at the same time. Yet, after this initial difficulty, they soon master the generative rules which are transparent in the regular system. The cognitive advantage provided by the regular number system then combines with other factors, like intensive teaching and parental pressure, to produce school achievement in mathematics superior to US children's.