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Reading Rates and Digit Span in Bilinguals: The Superiority of Mother Tongue
Author(s) -
Pinto Amâncio da Costa
Publication year - 1991
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 - 10.1080/00207599108247135
Subject(s) - numerical digit , memory span , psychology , reading (process) , first language , syllable , linguistics , audiology , pronunciation , arithmetic , mathematics , working memory , cognition , medicine , philosophy , neuroscience
Several studies have shown a negative linear relationship between speech rate and memory span. This relationship has implications for bilingual studies, as span could be larger in a bilingual's secondary language provided that pronunciation rate is faster than in the mother language. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of digit word length on digit span in bilinguals. Experiment 1 tested the effects of digit syllable length on speech rate in five different bilingual groups. Results revealed that digit‐reading rates were significantly faster in all mother languages. Experiment 2 examined more closely the correspondence between speech rate and digit span with Portuguese‐English bilinguals. Results showed that digit‐reading rates were faster and digit span larger in the mother language even if the mean number of syllables per digit was higher. The superiority of mother tongue was discussed according to the view that digits are subject to massive practice in one's native language with a strong tendency to be abbreviated, thus reducing its spoken duration.