Left to right or right to left? Effect of writing direction on time perception in bilingual adults

Abstract

How do we perceive time? Is there a flow of time, and if so, does it have a direction? Questions such as how time is perceived, expressed, and its relationship with language and culture has been extensively investigated. Individuals need physical world and concrete concepts (e.g., calendars, clocks, timelines) to understand and represent abstract concepts. Spatialization of time, which is a highly abstract concept, is not independent from reading & writing habits. While previous research demonstrated that time can be represented on several axes (vertical, horizontal, and sagittal), this study focused on the horizontal axis and the relationship between writing direction and spatial time representation in three different bilingual groups (L1-Turkish – L2-English, L1- Turkish – L2-Arabic, L1-Arabic – L2-Turkish). We aimed to investigate (1) if the bias parallel to writing direction is replicable in Turkish-Arabic sample, (2) whether learning another language written in a different direction changes the perception of time direction, and (3) which language dominates the directional bias for participants who are familiar with writing in both directions. We examined the effect of L2 writing direction on bilinguals in three different fields (spatial, pictorial, and verbal) based on percentage of time arrangement (spatial pointing task) and reaction time (pictorial and verbal time flow tasks) measurements. Pictorial and verbal tasks showed that regardless of language group, congruent trials were responded faster than incongruent trials indicating a tendency to represent time in line with L1. Spatial pointing task revealed that L1-Turkish speakers tended to arrange time from left to right, and L2 influenced the L1 bias only for the L1-Arabic – L2-Turkish group. This finding suggests that acquired writing habits can influence spatial representation of time when L2 is the society language. Overall findings indicate that L1-writing direction is a determining factor for spatio-temporal representation and the influence of L2 depends on other factors.