First Topic: How Are Emotions Involved In A Native and Foreign Language?

Do you swear, pray, or lie in your own tongue or in a foreign language? I swear in French, pray in Creole, and lie in French, English, and Creole, perhaps in German later on. A native language is thought to be more emotional than a foreign language. In reality, while making a decision or dealing with a severe issue, your foreign language decision is more rational than your native language decision. This is because we are more emotional in our native language than in a language, we are learning for the first time. According to Carla Reiter's article " Communicating in a foreign language takes emotion out of decision-making " you learn your mother tongue via your family, friends, and even television, but you acquire a second language in a classroom (Reiter). Learning a language via family and friends may trigger intense emotions as well as positive and negative memories. Learning a language in a classroom, on the other hand, involves fewer powerful emotions since you must learn the language as it is taught, and you are graded on your learning abilities. . This article, in my opinion, effectively demonstrates how emotions interact with a native and foreign language. This post has elements that are related to my daily life. This piece has caused me to consider how my emotions influence the words I use.

Work Cited

Reiter, Carla. “Communicating in a Foreign Language Takes Emotion out of Decision-Making.” University of Chicago News, https://news.uchicago.edu/story/communicating-foreign-language-takes-emotion-out-decision-making.

Second Topic: How The Media Affects Language

Social media may be a hotly debated topic; some people adore it, while others despise it. Regardless of this minor issue, we cannot deny that social media has a significant influence on language. According to Kate Wilson's article "How Social Media is Changing Language," social media changes language, aids in the creation of new terms, enhances the volume and speed of digital communication, and eventually gives us the duty of staying connected with people (Wilson). In reality, we can see how quickly language can change on social media. For example, the term "lit" is the past tense of the word "light," but because of social media, where this word is widely used, "lit" has come to denote "exciting." Furthermore, because social media has increased the pace through which we communicate on a regular basis, we utilize fewer words in our sentences. A maximum of 140 characters is permitted on Twitter (Wilson).

This article explains how the media influences language in a variety of ways. We can undertake a self-analysis on how we used social media thanks to the flow of information they supply. I feel that social media has a significant influence on the evolution of language. Every month, we are taught new terms and how to use them to appear cooler and more integrated. Because we are too lazy to type long phrases, our language has changed, and new terms have been formed. Some argue that social media is a threat to the English language, while others argue that it is pure "art."

Work Cited

Wilson, Kate. “How Social Media Is Changing Language.” Lingua Greca Translations | English-Greek Web & App Localization, 16 Sept. 2014, https://linguagreca.com/blog/2014/08/how-social-media-is-changing-language/.

Topic: How Are Emotions Involved In A Native and Foreign Language?

Source 2: Emotionality differences between a native and foreign language: theoretical implications

The article “Emotionality differences between a native and foreign language: theoretical implications” is an academic and peer-reviewed article. Frontiers in Psychology is a peer-reviewed open-access academic journal with 30 segments that span all elements of psychology. Frontiers Media launched itself in 2010. The article I picked was released on September 23, 2014. Catherine L. Caldwell-Harris, Ph.D. works as an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at Boston University. She became an associate professor in 2003 until today. She obtained a Ph.D. in Cognitive Science and Psychology at the University of California, San Diego, in August 1991. Also, she has a B.A. in Psychology cum laude, Harvard University, in March 1985. The article was reviewed by Cornelia Herbert, head of the Department of Applied Psychology of Emotions and Motivation at ULM University, in Germany.

The goal of the article is to highlight the emotional differences between a native and a foreign language in response to the various theories regarding language-emotion independence. The first section of the article looks at a variety of instances in which the native language is more emotional than the foreign language, as well as the reasons for this. People who learn a language early on, have a higher frequency and competency while using it, and people who learn it via immersion have demonstrated to have greater emotions for it than others. The language we learn as a child tends to carry strong emotional resonances. Primarily because early language develops itself simultaneously emotional regulation systems. However, second languages can also carry strong emotions if they are used frequently and are learned through immersion. That’s why it is argued that because human experiences are learned and preserved in a context-dependent manner, employing a language in emotional circumstances fills it with emotional resonances (Caldwell).

The article's conclusion emphasizes that, while words have meaning, they can be interpreted in many ways. As an English native speaker, hearing "Je t'aime" and "I love you" will not give you the same sensations.

The article concluded by outlining the significance of the study. Indeed, bilinguals, as well as monolinguals who engage with bilinguals, should be mindful of how emotions are expressed in their native and second languages. Finally, this study has the potential to be a fantastic answer to the debate over the link between language and emotions.

Through this post, I've learned and gained a better understanding of how native and foreign languages convey varying levels of emotion based on context and specific factors. After reading this essay, I've concluded that the native language elicits a huge range of feelings, which might vary depending on the circumstances. This site has increased my knowledge and interest in the subject significantly. The example is simpler to grasp than the other readings. This article examines how, depending on the language, meaning-bearing words might be vulnerable to interpretation, which was new to me. The source was simple to follow, which added to the appeal.

Work Cited

Caldwell-Harris, Catherine L. “Emotionality Differences between a Native and Foreign Language: Theoretical Implications.” Frontiers, Frontiers, 1 Jan. 1AD, https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.01055/full.

Does Language Shape Thought?

I picked a video that is not from an academic source. On March 20, 2020, this instructive film was uploaded to YouTube. An organization named BBC Ideas uploaded the video on the internet. They are working closely with The Open University to improve the accuracy of their information. The video's goal is to make viewers think about how language influences how we think. The video demonstrates how language alters our thinking. In reality, learning a new language provides us with a fresh perspective on the world. This phenomenon is also known as the Whorfian Hypothesis. People in the film said that they are more emotional in one language than another and that they occasionally behave differently depending on the language they are using. Language is also claimed to contain some image simulation, which might explain why we perceive the environment differently. Finally, the clip claims that language and culture are inextricably linked. When you learn a new language, you are also exposed to a new culture.

Despite the fact that this video offers knowledge that I have already been exposed to, it has helped me better comprehend my topic. In fact, it was simpler to grasp when I heard individuals express how the language causes them to think differently. My takeaway from this video is that language influences not only our emotions but also our way of thinking and culture. This video piqued my interest in my subject. The source is very comparable to the others I've used. It also concludes that language influences how we behave. The material was quite comprehensible and intriguing, and I had no trouble following what the individuals were saying.

Work Cited

Do We Think Differently in Different Languages? - Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XINQvKbqzq0.

Work Cited

Yang, Xiaolan, et al. “Foreign Language Effect on Dishonesty.” Frontiers, Frontiers, 1 Jan. 1AD, https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.633016/full.

Work Cited

Costa, Albert, et al. “Your Morals Depend on Language.” PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0094842.

Work Cited

Padjen, Vana. “Emotional Involvement in Swearing in Croatia (L1) vs. Swearing in English (L2).” Dabar, Sveučilište u Rijeci. Filozofski Fakultet. Odsjek Za Anglistiku., 1 Apr. 2022, https://dabar.srce.hr/en/islandora/object/ffri%3A3041.

Swearing in a second language is easier

The article “Swearing in a second language is easier” is a non-academic article in an online magazine. The article was published on The connexion, an online website that provides newspapers monthly to France residents, second- homeowners, and even people who visit France. It was published on August 26, 2017, and it was written by Samantha David.

The article explains that language taps into our memories when we speak, and we just hold on to those memories (David). Moreover, it explains that when a Korean woman who lives in the U.S speaks with her Korean friends, they speak English (David). In fact, some might think that using English is less formal. People prefer swearing in a foreign language as it is associated with less emotional reactivity, so people feel like it has a lower impact. It also applies to “I Love You”. Some would prefer to say those words in a foreign language as they are able to use them more freely. In some cultures, saying I love you to your family is really rare. We might see some never saying the words at home, then always saying the words “I love you” at school to their friends. Finally, when someone curses at you in your native language it is more hurtful than if they have done it in a foreign language. In fact, since it’s your native language it is more meaningful to you. Also, you might feel like it’s unfair because the interlocutor doesn’t understand the emotional resonance effect that those words have on you.

Through this article, I’ve learned that when Korean women meet in groups they would prefer to speak in English as it’s less formal. My main takeaway from this article is people prefer to swear foreign language and some cultures don’t say I love you to their family but will always say it to their friends in a foreign language. In fact, that is all because those terms in a foreign language are considered to have less impact and they can be used more freely. This article improves my understanding of the article and increased my interest. Compared to my other readings, it has also concluded that people prefer swearing in a foreign language. The article was understandable interesting and not hard to follow.

Work Cited

“Swearing in a Second Language Is Easier.” Https://Www.connexionfrance.com, https://www.connexionfrance.com/article/Mag/Language/Swearing-in-a-second-language-is-easier.

Work Cited

“Bad Language: Why Being Bilingual Makes Swearing Easier.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 27 Mar. 2017, https://www.theguardian.com/science/blog/2017/mar/27/bad-language-why-being-bilingual-makes-swearing-easier.

What have you learned?

In Mauritius, we speak Creole, English, and French. In my class Question D’identité, we have discussed the fact that our language varies depending on the context. In fact, on the Mauritius island, we speak French to elders and strangers as it is considered polite and respectful. We speak Creole with family and friends as we are more familiar with each other and finally all our educational books are in English, so we’ll usually speak English, Creole, or France in class. For example, I will speak to my friend sitting next to me in Creole, the teacher gives and a warning about talkative manners in French and asked me a question on an exercise in my book that I will have to answer in English since all our school materials are in English. It might be hard to understand, but it is usually instinctive for us.

So, at first, my question was How do I know which language I should use and when? When I did my research, I find out more about the native and foreign languages. In fact, since I came to Dawson, I realize that speaking my native and foreign languages is not the same. Also, I’ve realized that proficiency does make a difference. More precisely, although French is not my native language, since I’m more proficient in this language, I feel that the words that I say in French bear more emotional weight than the words that I say in English. So, I finally came to the question “How are emotions involved in a native and foreign language? I chose this topic because I really love languages and I feel that being able to speak various languages is a blessing, but I really felt the need to see how this all works. I wanted to find the answer to my question, hence why some are words easier to be said out loud in a foreign language than in a native language. The main finding of my research is that a language has more emotional resonances when it is learned in our childhood and via immersion. In fact, when we are a child we learn new words, our parents correct us when we misspell words. Also, as a child language is learned through our family, so each word has its memories that have deep meaning to us. Also, according to studies, thinking in a non-native language improve decision-making. In fact, the foreign language is associated with reduced emotional resonances, so when we have a decision to make, it prevents intuitive choices and bias. Finally, swearing in a foreign language is easier as it bears less emotional weight. In fact, many people prefer to speak about taboo subjects or to swear in a foreign language as they feel freer.

To conclude, all the articles that I have read have not only been beneficial for my research paper, but it has also contributed greatly to my life. In fact, now I understand why I never say “I Love You” in creole. In fact, I learned that in some cultures we don’t say affectionate words in the family but will always say those words to a friend in a foreign language. Also, since I’ve learned that thinking in a foreign language can improve decision-making, next time I will try this tip.

Work Cited

Kelly. “Why Cursing in Another Language Feels so d*** Good.” Listen & Learn AUS Blog, 25 Apr. 2017, https://www.listenandlearnaustralia.com.au/blog/why-cursing-in-another-language-feels-so-d-good/.