A crosslinguistic investigation into the foreign language learning of (non) equivalent emotion words : the case of Kuwaiti learners of English
Can the learning of another language influence the way we interpret and describe emotional situations? Following previous research on emotions and crosslinguistic influence (Jarvis & Pavlenko 2010; Pavlenko 2002b; 2008d; 2014; Pavlenko & Driagina 2007), this thesis examines whether the learning of emotion words in English as a foreign language (L2) can influence the way Arabic speaking learners interpret emotions when there are no translation equivalents for a given emotional concept in their first language (L1). By examining English language learners from different foreign language learning contexts in Kuwait, i.e. immersion and non-immersion, this thesis examines whether the learning of another language might affect their lexical choices when describing the same emotional situation in their L1 Arabic. It also examines whether or not possible differences in their identification and expression of emotion in the two different languages can be attributed to crosslinguistic influence. This study focuses on the emotion words excitement/excited/exciting and frustration/frustrated/frustrating, as these emotions depicted by these English emotion words differ in the way they are encoded and conceptualized both in
Tifooni, Saba
A crosslinguistic investigation into the foreign language learning of (non) equivalent emotion words : the case of Kuwaiti learners of English. Can the learning of another language influence the way we interpret and describe emotional situations? Following previous research on emotions and crosslinguistic influence (Jarvis & Pavlenko 2010; Pavlenko 2002b; 2008d; 2014; Pavlenko & Driagina 2007), this thesis examines whether the learning of emotion words in English as a foreign language (L2) can influence the way Arabic speaking learners interpret emotions when there are no translation equivalents for a given emotional concept in their first language (L1). By examining English language learners from different foreign language learning contexts in Kuwait, i.e. immersion and non-immersion, this thesis examines whether the learning of another language might affect their lexical choices when describing the same emotional situation in their L1 Arabic. It also examines whether or not possible differences in their identification and expression of emotion in the two different languages can be attributed to crosslinguistic influence. This study focuses on the emotion words excitement/excited/exciting and frustration/frustrated/frustrating, as these emotions depicted by these English emotion words differ in the way they are encoded and conceptualized both in
crosslinguistic investigation foreign_language_learning non equivalent emotion word case kuwaiti learner_english learn another_language influence way_interpret describe emotional situation following previous emotion crosslinguistic influence and person_person and examine_whether learn emotion word english_foreign language influence way arabic_speaking learner interpret emotion translation equivalent give emotional concept first_language examine english_language learner different foreign_language learn contexts kuwait immersion non immersion examine_whether learn another_language might affect lexical_choice describe emotional situation arabic also_examine whether_possible difference identification expression emotion two_different language attribute crosslinguistic influence study_focus emotion word excitement frustration emotion depict english emotion word differ way encode