What Heritage Bilinguals Tell Us about the Language of Emotion

Bibliographic Data

ID5900675
AuthorsNicole A Vargas Fuentes (0000-0002-8319-9064, University of California, Irvine, corresponding author), Judith F Kroll (0000-0002-7951-0702, University of California, Irvine), J Torres (0000-0001-8351-6149, University of California, Irvine)
Year2022
Volume7
Issue2
Pages144
Publication date2022-06-06
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueLanguages (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2226-471X • E-ISSN: 2226-471X
PublisherMDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.3390/languages7020144
OpenAlexW4281717187
LanguageEN
Citations received4
References cited69

Variation in the language experience of bilinguals has consequences for cognitive and affective processes. In the current study, we examined how bilingual experience influences the relationship between language and emotion in English among a group of Spanish-English heritage bilinguals on an emotion-memory task. Participants rated the emotionality of English taboo, negative and neutral words and then completed an unexpected recognition test. To account for language experience, data were gathered on the participants' language dominance and proficiency. Results showed emotion-memory effects in the Spanish-English heritage bilinguals' English (the societal language): taboo words were recognized significantly better than neutral words, while the emotionality of negative words carried over and significantly affected the recognition of preceding neutral words. Furthermore, such effects were modulated by language dominance scores with more pronounced emotion-memory effects in more English-dominant bilinguals. The findings contribute to a growing body of evidence showing that emotions are not necessarily restricted to the first acquired home language. Critically, for heritage speakers, there is often a shift in language dominance from the home language to the societal language. The present study demonstrates that the effects of emotion on memory are seen in the acquired societal language

Age of Acquisition · Cognition · Cognitive psychology · Developmental psychology · Dominance (genetics · Emotionality · First language · Heritage language · Linguistics · Neuroscience of multilingualism · Sociology · Taboo · Interpreting and Communication in Healthcare · Language, Discourse, Communication Strategies · Language, Metaphor, and Cognition · Psychology

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