On Processing the Roman and Arabic Orthographies of Malay: Some Implications from the Stroop Color-Word Test

Malay, the language spoken in Singapore, Brunei, and Malaysia, is transcribed by both Arabic and Roman orthographies. Skilled Malay readers are trained in reading their language printed in these two dissimilar orthographies. This unique feature of Malay enables a study of the effects of orthography on processes of reading independently of language constraints. Using a Stroop Color-Word paradigm, naming the color of the ink used to print incongruent Malay color words in Roman is significantly longer (and more error-prone) than naming the same colors used to write incongruent color words in Arabic orthography. The results are discussed in relation to the effects of orthography on perceptual processes mediating lexical access.