A SECOND INVESTIGATION INTO BILINGUAL(WELSH/ENGLISH) TRAFFIC SIGNS

A FURTHER INVESTIGATION HAS BEEN CARRIED OUT INTO THE EFFECT ON READING TIMES OF THE ORDER OF PRESENTATION OF THE LANGUAGES ON WELSH/ENGLISH BILINGUAL TRAFFIC SIGNS. THE READING TIMES OF TWO TYPES OF ADVANCE DIRECTION SIGNS FOR PRIMARY ROUTES WERE DETERMINED. THREE GROUPS OF SUBJECTS, EACH CONSISTING OF 26 DRIVERS, TOOK PART IN THE TESTS. THE GROUPS WERE PEOPLE LIVING IN WALES WHO NORMALLY SPEAK WELSH, PEOPLE LIVING IN WALES WHO NORMALLY SPEAK ENGLISH AND ENGLISH PEOPLE. TWO TESTS WERE CARRIED OUT, ONE INVOLVING READING PROJECTED SLIDES OF THE SIGNS, AND ONE INVOLVING READING ROADSIDE SIGNS WHILST DRIVING. SIGNS WITH ENGLISH NAMES POSITIONED ABOVE THEIR WELSH EQUIVALENTS RESULTED IN SHORTER AVERAGE READING TIMES. THE ONLY EXCEPTION TO THIS WAS IN THE EXPERIMENT IN WHICH DRIVING WAS NOT INVOLVED AND THE WELSH-SPEAKING SUBJECTS CHOSE TO READ WELSH. (A) (SEE ALSO IRRD ABSTRACT NO.204384)

• Corporate Authors:

  Transport and Road Research Laboratory

  Environment Division, Old Wokingham Road
  Crowthorne RG11 6AU, Berkshire,   England 
• Authors:
  • Rutley, K S
• Publication Date: 1974

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 15 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Comprehension; Definitions; Drivers; Human characteristics; International; Legibility; Perception; Time; Traffic signs
• Uncontrolled Terms: Driver characteristics; Foreign language documents; Nomenclature
• ITRD Terms: 2209: Comprehension; 9034: International; 540: Legibility; 2229: Perception; 5414: Time; 553: Traffic sign; 8584: Web site
• Subject Areas: Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Safety and Human Factors; Society; I73: Traffic Control;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00080675
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transport and Road Research Laboratory (TRRL)
• Report/Paper Numbers: No. SR34 UC Series
• Files: ITRD, TRIS
• Created Date: Mar 6 1975 12:00AM