Job Discussion Forums

[lall]

Has anyone noticed that a large number of Omani males are left-handers as also a considerable number of women?

Is it on account of their "right-to-left" script?

lall

[veiledsentiments]

Interesting question...

I didn't notice that there that many more than in the US - a couple per class, but I never actually looked at it. I just checked Wikipedia and the research suggests 8-15% and that Asians have a higher incidence than North Americans. Thus about 3-4 per 20-25 class? Are you seeing higher?

But, it did mention that many people are left-handed, but tend to write with their right hand - which suggests that lefthandedness is probably more common than we think.

Their right to left writing system might allow more of them to write with their left hand, but I'm not sure why it wouldn't be easier to use the right hand and move left, but perhaps it just seems that way to me because I am right-handed.

VS

[lall]

VS wrote, "Their right to left writing system might allow more of them to write with their left hand, but I'm not sure why it wouldn't be easier to use the right hand and move left, but perhaps it just seems that way to me because I am right-handed. "

Maybe using the right hand and moving left would tend to smudge out any undried ink while at the same time, the rest of the fingers would cover up the words written earlier.

Just a hypothesis.

lall

[veiledsentiments]

It doesn't work that way if I write Arabic right-handed, but I guess it depends on how one would hold the pen...

or more likely a pencil?

So, what are the numbers in your classes?

VS

[lall]

There are around 20 to 25 students per class, out of which around 4 to 5 are girls.

[veiledsentiments]

So... how many of them are left-handed per the topic?

VS

[007]

I do not think the cause of left-handed people in Oman is the way how they write from right to left!

The following article may explain the cause:

"Clare Porac, a professor of psychology at Pennsylvania State University who studies handedness, explains.
Researchers who study human hand preference agree that the side of the preferred hand (right versus left) is produced by biological and, most likely, genetic causes. The two most widely published genetic theories of human hand preference argue that evolutionary natural selection produced a majority of individuals with speech and language control in the left hemisphere of the brain. Because the left hemisphere also controls the movements of the right hand--and notably the movements needed to produce written language--millennia of evolutionary development resulted in a population of humans that is biased genetically toward individuals with left hemisphere speech/language and right-hand preference. Approximately 85 percent of people are right-handed. These theories also try to explain the persistent and continuing presence of a left-handed minority (about 15 percent of humans). "
http://www.left-handed.com/forum/

[stoth1972]

I actually found that in Egypt and the UAE, more kids were left-handed than in the American classroom counterpart. In a group of 32, 5-7 were left-handed.

[lall]

You're right about the large proportion of Egyptians being left-handed.
Maybe, it's an Arab trait.
Fellow ESL Cafe users who've been around the Arab world are requested to offer their insights vis-a-vis the issue at (left) hand. [Pun intended - Ha! Ha!]

lall

[zaylahis]

[Maybe using the right hand and moving left would tend to smudge out any undried ink while at the same time, the rest of the fingers would cover up the words written earlier.
quote]

I write both in Arabic and English with my right hand so your hypothesis may not be true. My brother who doesn't write arabic is left handed. It has something to do with the left brain. Psychologists also claim that left-handed people are more artistic than right brainers. The latter are supposed to be more logical (If I remember my psychology correctly). Wonder if Arab students are more artistic since many are left-handed. Interesting study. What about Chinese who right from top to bottom? The Japanese too, if I am not mistaken.[/quote]

[lall]

Zaylahis, you're right about left-handers being more creative than their right-handed counterparts, who tend to be logical, in their dealings.

As regards their (Arabs') artistic abilities, one needs only to look at some of the filigree work in their ancient buildings to say "Amen". Also, Saracenic architecture has produced some truly artistic structures, particularly when in combination with Indian architecture. The Taj Mahal readily springs to mind.

The fact that a large number of Arabs are left-handed aroused my curiosity with regard to their "right-to left" script.

You've raised an interesting point about the pictorial scripts like Chinese & Japanese. Maybe some forum user in the Far East can offer insights.

[temujinsky]

The Chinese have been writing left to right for many years, since Mao! They also write in Pinyin, romanised Chinese.

[lall]

Dear Temujinsky,

Do you mean that the Chinese script runs from left to right, after each column of characters is written from top to bottom?

I'm totally clueless about Chinese/Japanese scripts and would much appreciate any information on the same.

Regs.,

lall

[zaylahis]

Chinese characters are pictorial. they are written and read up to down starting from the left column. Japanese is similar although I am told the characters are different from Mandarin.

Indians read from left to right too although not in columns.. Wonder if only languages using the Roman alphabets are read from right to left??

[lall]

Quote-Indians read from left to right too although not in columns.. Wonder if only languages using the Roman alphabets are read from right to left??-Unquote.

I suppose you mean that languages using the Roman alphabets are read from left to right, right?