The Real Indian IQ

[G.Subramaniam]

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I also argued how language and script translates to better IQ scores. Since Mr. Nguyen speaks Vietnamese, let me take an example from that language.


In Vietnamese, the number 12 is “möôøi hai” (möôøi=ten; hai =two). Hence Mr. Nguyen perceives the number 12 simply as “ten-two”. This obviates the need to translate back and forth during numerical tasks.


On the other hand, in my own language (Oriya), the number 12 would be “bara”. The word “bara” is a separate word on its own, not a combination of “ten” and “two” as in Vietnamese, which would have been “dasha-dui” (“ten-two”). In order to accomplish equivalent tasks, I have to go through a whole extra set of mental processes than Mr. Nguyen for the same task.


The word for another number 36 further illustrates this point. Mr. Nguyen who speaks Vietnamese, perceives the number 36 simply as “three-ten-six”. To me the same number is actually “chhattis”, which is an entire word of its own, roughly mapping to “six-thirty” (much worse than even English!).


Chinese, Japanese, Korean, all share this feature. Number manipulation is a much easier task in those languages than in Indian languages. English is somewhere in-between.


Again, I have also pointed out how the intricate Chinese script helps children develop the ability to manipulate visual patterns better. While I know that there have been studies done in this direction, I was unable to find anything online.


However, I can supply a parallel example. Many Chinese, Japanese and other Orientals adults display the ability to recognize absolute pitch (not relative pitch). Even trained musicians in Western cultures are sometimes unable to accomplish this rare feat. That of course does not mean that Orientals have better musical abilities than Caucasians. The simple explanation lies in the fact that Oriental languages make use of complex intonations. Chinese is after all a highly tonal language! Oriental children learn to discern subtle differences in tone at a very tender age than whites, and grow up to recognize absolute pitch. Voila!