Language Choice of Multilinguals in Emotional Expressiveness: The Case of Master’s II EFL students at Tlemcen University

Abstract

Language not only has an important role to play in human cognitive communication but it is also considered as a fundamental component of emotions. As numerous languages are spoken and utilized in many nations, multilingualism is widespread. Therefore, multilingual speakers do indeed have the capacity to speak many languages which allows them to perceive, experience, and express themselves in a variety of ways. The present research work aims at investigating the effect of speaking multiple languages on the language choice in the emotional expressiveness. The case study was conducted on master two English students ofTlemcen University. This study attempts to inquire the reasons behind students’ language choice when displaying emotions. To reach this end, two research instruments were used to collect data a test and questionnaire. For data analysis, both quantitative and qualitative methods were employed. The findings reveal that Algerian ELLs use foreign languages as well as their native language to express their emotions. However, the majority prefer to use English/French to discuss and express emotions or matters that can be hardly discussed in their L1 (Dialectal Arabic). Results point at a complicated link between the learner's language choices in terms of emotionality and expressiveness and a set of contextual elements. The study concluded that, students’ language choice in the emotional expressivity relies on the intensity of the emotion, language proficiency, context, and language attitude. At last, further areas ofresearch were identified.