The effect of language status, immersion and cultural integration level on the emotionality of emotion words in Spanish

Abstract

This study investigates how Spanish language users perceive (and indirectly process) positive and negative emotion words. More specifically, it examines whether the emotional associations of these words are affected by language status: Spanish as first (L1) or additional (LX) language. It also analyses whether immersion and cultural integration in Spanish culture influence the emotionality of these words in LX Spanish. The sample consisted of 200 Spanish L1 users and 91 Spanish LX users, with and without immersion and grouped into two different integration levels (medium and high). Participants completed a word rating task online, including negative and positive emotion words. They rated each Spanish word on the valence and arousal affective dimensions. According to statistical analyses, an L1 advantage emerged for positive emotion words in valence. In arousal, there was found an L1 advantage for positive emotion words and similar activation levels for negative emotions between L1 and LX. Overall, immersion and integration had a positive effect on word emotionality, to various degrees depending on the word type. Spanish LX users with immersion and higher levels of integration in the target culture perceived emotion words as more extremely emotional.