Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

Wales uses languages with both regular (Welsh) and irregular (English) counting systems. Three groups of 6- and 8-year-old Welsh children with varying degrees of exposure to the Welsh languagethose who spoke Welsh at both home and school; those who spoke Welsh only at home; and those who spoke only Englishwere given standardized tests of arithmetic and a test of understanding representations of two-digit numbers. Groups did not differ on the arithmetic tests, but both groups of Welsh speakers read and compared 2-digit numbers more accurately than monolingual English children. A similar study was carried out with Tamil/English bilingual children in England. The Tamil counting system is more transparent than English but less so than Welsh or Chinese. Tamil-speaking children performed better than monolingual English-speaking children on one of the standardized arithmetic tests but did not differ in their comparison of two-digit numbers. Reasons for the findings are discussed.

Type

Journal article

Journal

Philosophical Psychology

Publisher

Taylor& Francis

Publication Date

2008

Volume

21

Pages

523 - 528

Addresses

Ann Dowker, Oxford University, Dept of Experimental Psychology, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3UD, England, Sheila Bala, Oxford University, Balliol College, Broad Street, Oxford, OX1 3BJ, England, Delyth Lloyd, Oxford University, St Hildas College, Cowley Place, Oxford, OX4 1DY, England

Keywords

Cross-national comparisons, Arithmetic, Counting systems, Place value, Number, Children, Tamil, Welsh