Transcoding number words by bilingual speakers of Arabic: writing multi-digit numbers in a units-decades inverting language

ABSTRACT Arabic presents a double challenge in transcoding number-words to numerals because multi-digit numbers are stipulated as units before decades (UD inversion), and it is written right-to-left. Both these aspects are reversed in relation to the direction of writing numerals. We tested the effects of the UD-inversion in multi-digit number words (e.g. four hundred, three and twenty) on transcoding heard or read number-words to numerals, by adult native speakers of Arabic, who were also highly proficient in Hebrew (also written right to left, but without inversion). Speakers of Arabic were slower to complete the task in the standard (UD) format compared to their own performance in the non-standard (DU) format in Arabic. Moreover, presented with standard Arabic, most speakers of Arabic were inconsistent in the order of writing decades and units; often following the UD order of the number-words. As a control condition, Arabic and Hebrew speakers tested in English, performed equally well with faster performance in the DU format. We conjecture that native speakers of Arabic resort to a writing strategy that can reduce the added load on working memory imposed by the UD inversion in standard Arabic, but even in adults transcoding from the Arabic is taxing.