Linguistic Relativity and Bilingualism: Investigating the Influence of Foreign Language and Culture on English Language Learners’ Expressiveness and Emotionality.

Abstract

This study investigated the influence of English as a foreign language on Arabic-English coordinate bilinguals’ expressiveness and emotionality through a questionnaire and a test. Therefore, it was hypothesised that learning English as a foreign language would influence Algerian learners’ expressiveness in their dominant language and second language (English). The questionnaire aimed at garnering information about students’ self-perceived level of proficiency and exposure to the target language’s culture, amongst other factors. Spearman’s correlation tests were computed to test a possible association between the latter factors and emotional expressiveness, whereupon coefficients recorded a positive correlation between expressiveness and self-perceived proficiency level (r = 0.332), and exposure to the target language culture (r = 0.250). Further, a qualitative analysis of students’ emotional productions was carried out through a test assessing participants’ language choice in six situations testing their expressivity, which allowed gaining insights into the participants’ expression of emotions, language choice, and code-switching. The results of this study suggested a complex relationship between the learners’ language choices regarding expressiveness and emotionality and a set of influential factors. This research concluded that both the dominant language (L1) and less dominant language (L2) are employed in emotion expressivity depending on the intensity of the emotion and the nature of emotional materials.