Comparing the valence, emotionality and subjective familiarity of words in a first and a second language

Abstract

ABSTRACT Extant research has compared the processing of affectively laden words between L1 and L2. However, most studies used verbal stimuli that were validated for a single language or for both languages but using independent samples. We systematically compared ratings of valence, emotional intensity and subjective familiarity of negative, neutral, positive and taboo words, presented in L1 (European-Portuguese) and their equivalent in L2 (English), produced by the same individual. All participants (n = 230) were native European Portuguese speakers that self-reported being fluent in English (M Age of acquisition = 8.62 years old, SD = 2.94). Most participants (55.1%) reported having learned English in a formal context (i.e. school). As expected, words in L1 (vs. L2) were rated as more familiar and extreme in valence. Surprisingly, higher emotional intensity ratings in L1 (vs. L2) were only observed for taboo words. These findings contribute for the bilingualism research by emphasizing that differences in the affective processing of different languages may be more noticeable in specific evaluative dimensions (e.g. valence) or specific word types (e.g. taboo words). Subjective norms for the full set of 640 words (evaluated by a sample ranging from 26 to 32 participants) are available at https://osf.io/va2tj/