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Emotional force of languages in multilingual speakers in Finland

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 December 2012

SANNA HEINI MARIA RÄSÄNEN  and
JULIAN M. PINE
SANNA HEINI MARIA RÄSÄNEN*
Affiliation:
University of Liverpool
JULIAN M. PINE
Affiliation:
University of Liverpool
*
ADDRESS FOR CORRESPONDENCE Sanna Räsänen, Department of Psychology, University of Liverpool, Bedford Street South, Liverpool, UK. E-mail: S.H.M.Rasanen@liverpool.ac.uk
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Abstract

The aim of the present study was to investigate whether the better recall of emotional words applies to both native and later-learned languages. In a mixed design, 41 native Finnish speakers, who were substantially less proficient in their later-learned languages, which were English (second language) and Swedish (third language), were shown negative/taboo, positive, and neutral words in the three languages. Their memory for the words was assessed in an unexpected free recall test preceded by a depth of processing task (deep or shallow). The results revealed that an emotion-word advantage was visible for negatively valenced words (negative/taboo) in the native language, Finnish, and the second language, English. However, the nature of the processing task had no significant effect on recall. Additional self-report measures indicated that English was perceived as more emotional and more frequently used than Swedish. These results suggest that the amount and frequency of everyday exposure to a particular language are two critical factors in determining the degree of emotionality of that language for the speaker.

Type
Articles
Information
Applied Psycholinguistics , Volume 35 , Issue 3 , May 2014 , pp. 443 - 471
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2012 

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