Horenstein,
Veronica (1/10) Bilingualism and emotion: Do bilinguals experience emotions
differently in their first and second languages? (Howard Mcguire, Ph.D.;
Nicholas Papouchis, Ph.D.; Joan Duncan, Ph.D.)
The present study investigated the verbal
expression of emotions in English and Spanish among compound and coordinate
Hispanic bilinguals. Compounds were individuals who had learned both languages
simultaneously before the age of five. Coordinates had acquired the second
language after age 18. Participants were 136 highly educated males and females
between the ages of 20 and 60. They were divided into 4 groups: coordinate
bilingual (37), compound bilingual (38), Spanish monolingual (34), and English
monolingual (27). Monolinguals were used as control groups. Language
proficiency and type of bilingualism were determined using an oral interview,
Guttfreund's Bilingual Questionnaire (1990), and a demographic questionnaire.
Sad and happy mood states were induced using two film clips and two
recall-of-events procedures. Bilinguals were randomly assigned to a Spanish or
an English experimental condition Emotional expression was measured using a
Mood/Affect Adjective Checklist. Bilinguals also completed the Short
Acculturation Scale for Hispanics (Marin et al, 1987).
As expected, for both types of
monolinguals, more negative affect than positive affect was elicited under the
negative mood induction condition ( p = .0001). Conversely, more positive
affect than negative affect was elicited under the positive mood induction condition
(p= .0001). Spanish monolinguals were significantly more expressive of positive
and negative affect than English monolinguals (p = .009). They were also more
expressive than the Spanish bilingual samples (p = .004). Significant
interaction effects between language condition and affect (p = .035), and
between group and affect ( p = .024) were found when the two bilingual groups
were compared. Contrary to prediction, coordinates and compounds expressed
significantly more positive and negative affect in English than in Spanish. The
language differences in the expression of affect were larger among compounds,
however. Compounds also reported significantly higher levels of acculturation
than coordinates ( p = .0001). The findings of this study suggest that in
addition to language, variables such as level of education, acculturation, and
the cultural context in which bilinguals and monolinguals are embedded may play
a major role in emotional expression.
