Aug 23 2005
Remembering Letters
Ask someone, “What number comes before 136?” Without pause, they’ll tell you, “135.” You can ask the same about any number, and everyone will answer without having to think about it for more than a split second (unless they’re drunk, in which case they’ll probably just tell you to buzz off). But if you ask, “What letter comes before the letter J?”, it’s interesting how many people have to stop and recite a portion of the alphabet to remember what letter comes before the letter J. “H-I-J…I comes before J!” Ask the same question about almost any letter in the the alphahet, and the results are often the same: people have to pause and think about it; that, or recite a portion of the alphabet to remember. I see people reciting the alphabet all the time while looking up a word in the dictionary. Why is that? There are only 26 letters in the English alphabet. Most of us have known them all our lives. I’m guessing most of us see more letters in the course of a day than numbers. So why can’t we remember what letter comes before another letter without having recite a portion of the alphabet?
Try saying the alphabet backwards. I can get to Y.
I can recite the alphabet backwards, but I still have to stop and think when posed with the question that Phillip described…. Hmmmmm.
Stick to one blog will ya?
Why is the alphabet ordered?
Stick to one blog? Ssssh, Pender, don’t tell anyone what my real name is, or about my other blog. I’ve been cultivating this “Phillip Cairns” character for so long now, sometimes I feel like I am Phillip Cairns. Last week even I signed a rent cheque as “Phillip Cairns.” It’s getting weird.
Perhaps I should send this question about remembing (or forgetting) letters to The Straight Dope. I wonder if it’s a Straight Dope kind of question…