Conference on Language, emotion and identity2021-04-26T00:28:49+02:00

International Conference on
Language, emotion and identity

17th September 2021

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Emotion and emotivity on second languages. Theoretical perspectives and lines of research.

Languages are highly emotional products. Their embodied nature is consistent with the emotional sieve that all words carry. During the process of language acquisition, words become embedded with experiential, perceptual and emotional meaning, which are responsible for their anchoring in lexical networks and memory, and they keep being fed by these dimensions over a lifetime. However, this emotional charge is different depending on the type of word and its semantic content. How do we observe and measure this value? What dimensions of emotion are relevant? What linguistic, cognitive and socio-cultural variables affect the emotional resonance of languages? How does emotionality affect linguistic processing? Is the representation of emotional space the same in all languages? What aspects are universal and what are cultural? In short, what does the emotionality of words show us about the nature of language?

Emotion and second languages

Today’s globalised and complex world has offered new perspectives on the way in which bilingualism and language contact are understood as frequent situations. In this scenario, there is no doubt that scientific progress in understanding the processes of language acquisition and learning is essential, especially when numerous studies reveal that L2/LE are devoid or diminished of the emotional resonance inherent in the L1, which may also have implications for aspects of communicative efficacy, identity, integration, etc.

Indeed, different behavioural processing studies show processing advantages of L1, with faster and more dynamic responses and activity, and suggest that L1 is more emotional than L2. These studies are based on different criteria as the impact of emotionality on word memory, automatic word evaluation, psychophysiological responses to linguistic stimuli, the impact of words on attention, electrophysiological and neuroimaging measures, etc.

However, when contrasted with results from other research, the pattern shown is not so clear, as no differences or greater effect is found in L2. In many cases, this contradiction is a consequence of the research model adopted and what lies behind it is rather a complementary contribution to the previous ones. Each contribution provides highly relevant data that will help to answer the many questions surrounding the bilingual mind and, therefore, language acquisition.

The importance of these lines of work is undeniable, given the growing bilingual population, as well as their applications in different areas. Both theoretical and applied approaches highlight the role of linguistic and cultural considerations of language emotionality in areas such as cognitive, clinical, sociological and educational psychology.

Call of papers

We invite all interested researchers to send their applications for posters related to one of the themes of the conference.

Thematic lines

  • Emotional resonance of languages
  • Emotivity in the mother tongue and in second languages
  • Processing of emotional vocabulary
  • Research instruments
  • Emotional aspects in language learning processes
  • Cross-disciplinary intersections in the study of emotion
  • Implementations of research findings on the emotivity of languages
Submission of applications

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Organising committee

  • Ana Blanco Canales

  • Mari Mar Boillos

  • María Brígido

  • Nuria Camuñas

  • Natividad Hernández

  • Marta Nogueroles

  • Alberto Rodríguez

  • María Vaíllo

Scientific committee

  • Ana Blanco Canales (Universidad de Alcalá)

  • Alejandro Castañeda (Universidad de Granada)

  • Manuel Martín Loeches (Universidad Complutense de Madrid)

  • Natividad Hernández (Universidad de Salamanca)

  • Cristina Soriano (Swiss Center for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva)

  • Adolfo García (Laboratorio de Psicología Experimental y Neurociencias, INCYT)

  • Alberto Rodríguez Lifante (Universidad de Alicante)

  • Jon Andoni Duñabeitia (Universidad Nebrija)

  • Mari Mar Boillos (Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea)

  • Isabel Fraga Carou (Universidade de Santiago de Compostela)

  • Carmen Horno Chéliz (Universidad de Zaragoza)

  • Markus Conrad (Laboratorio de Neurociencia Cognitiva y Psicolingüística, Universidad de La Laguna)

  • Christina Gkonou (University of Essex)

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