How are words felt in a second language

Norms for 2,628 English words for valence and arousal by L2 speakers

Bibliographic Data

ID21697809
AuthorsConstance Imbault (0000-0002-5006-4665, McMaster University, corresponding author), Debra Titone (0000-0001-9060-9896, McGill University), Amy Beth Warriner (McMaster University), Victor Kuperman (0000-0001-8961-3767, University of Waterloo)
Year2021
Volume24
Issue2
Pages281-292
Publication date2021-03-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueBilingualism Language and Cognition (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1366-7289 • E-ISSN: 1469-1841
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s1366728920000474
OpenAlexW3080872415
LanguageEN
Citations received19
References cited51

The topic of non-native language processing has been of steady interest in past decades. Yet, conclusions about the emotional responses in L2 have been highly variable. We conducted a large-scale rating study to explicitly measure how non-native readers of English respond to the valence and arousal of 2,628 English words. We investigated how the effect of a rater's L2 proficiency, length of time in Canada, and the semantic category of the word affects how L2 readers experience and rate that word. L2 speakers who had lived a longer time in Canada, and reported higher English proficiency, showed emotional responses that were more similar to those of L1 speakers of English. Additionally, valence differences between L1 and L2 raters were greater in words that L2 raters do not typically use in English. These findings highlight the importance of behavioural ecology in language learning, particularly as it applies to emotional word processing

Arousal · Cognition · Cognitive psychology · Emotional valence · First language · Linguistics · Second language · Categorization, perception, and language · Language, Metaphor, and Cognition · Neurobiology of Language and Bilingualism · Psychology · Social Psychology