Emotional Resonance of Arabic-English Bilinguals

Abstract

The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis has inspired many researchers to investigate the relationship between language and thought. However, little attention has been paid to Arabic. The current study aimed to examine Arabic-English bilinguals’ perceptions of emotional words in their first and second languages. In addition, the current study aimed to detect whether gender is a significant variable affecting individuals’ viewpoints. The sample consists of 20 men and 29 women, with ages ranging from 19 to 31 years. The study adopted both qualitative and quantitative methods in which the participants rated each question on a 5-point Likert scale. In addition, open-ended questions obtained informative responses from the participants. An independent t-test was used to detect differences between men and women. The results indicate that Arabic-English bilinguals feel higher emotional intensity when using their first language than when using their second. In addition, the participants’ independent variables, such as frequency of use, language proficiency, and context of acquisition, were significant because they affected their perception of emotional words in their first and second languages. Moreover, the results did not indicate any gender differences between men and women. Thus, this study provides insights into Arabic-English bilinguals’ perceptions of emotional terms in both languages.