Functional neuroplasticity, the study of how experiences change brain structures and their functions, provides the basis for research into how bilingualism affects the cognitive capacities of its speakers (Bialystok & Craik, 2022). The first study to examine the pros and cons of being multilingual was undertaken by Peal and Lambert (Festman, Czapka, & Winsler, 2021). The two scientists reached the same conclusion: Bilingual youngsters outperformed monolingual children on various exams, particularly ones that required them to rearrange information and manipulate symbols. The study aims to teach readers how to rein in the negative feelings prompted by bilingual psychology. Bilingual youngsters faced criticism in the early twentieth century due to the widespread notion that learning two languages would be complicated (Pliatsikas et al., 2020). Recent research, however, shows conflicting conclusions about whether or not learning a second language improves cognitive abilities.
Emotion and experience in language transformation cognitive control are fundamental to human communication. This topic helps address functional magnetic resonance imaging, response time, and event-related potential research. Emotions are affected differently from cognitive control in bilinguals. However, the benefits of cognitive control are distinct from those in monolinguals and include, among other things, the ability to switch between languages and activate them simultaneously (Vargas Fuentes, Kroll, & Torres, 2022). This proposal covers the fundamentals of why it is important to acquire a second language and the link between language immersion and improved emotional awareness and articulation in both one’s first and second languages (Barker, R. M., & Bialystok, 2019). The purpose of this research is to examine whether or whether second language (L2) immersion alters first language (L1) emotional perception and expression and second language (L2) emotional perception and expression and to identify factors that may contribute to these likely changes. Individuals from the school community will be selected at random to take part.
To avoid any hiccups in processing due to interference from other languages, the brain must be able to discriminate between them upon activation (Tiv, Kutlu, & Titone, 2021). We can blame the frontal executive system, which is also in charge of selective attention and nonverbal executive function. Levada, Mitrofanova, & Westergaard (2021) claim that bilinguals have an advantage over monolinguals when using these executive control processes. We have already established that bilingualism is a means by which both brain hemispheres can be engaged simultaneously. The implications of the unique joint activation system shared by monolinguals and bilinguals are discussed. Even though there is a higher probability of linguistic slip-ups and blunders, this method is very precise when choosing the target language.
This research proposal’s literature review presents the connection between the emotional impacts of immersing oneself in two languages from the perspectives of L2 speakers, bilinguals, and monolinguals. The findings indicate that those who can speak two languages do so because they have successfully navigated the socialization processes involved. An online study of 170 Chinese monolinguals and bilinguals revealed a common sequence of reactions to stressful situations in either English or Chinese. These fit indices were predicted for the usual emotional patterns among British and Chinese monolinguals, and the results illustrate the effectiveness of the quantitative technique used in this work (Sun et al., 2018). Regarding emotional patterns, monolinguals are more likely to fit their cultural norms, while bilinguals can easily adopt either the traditional LX or L1 patterns. Although the survey language did influence bilinguals’ emotional fit, evidence of “cultural frame switching” was lacking. Bilinguals with limited contact with English-speaking situations reported a drop in emotional fit when using the language.
The authors of this study propose that bilingualism plays a role in how people manage their feelings. One way to characterize the impact of emotional regulation on bilingualism is to ask whether or not it affects language acquisition. Expressive behavior, physiological evaluation, and cognitive evaluation, all influenced by cultural norms, behavioral occurrences, and environmental needs, are all displayed in the study of emotion ideology in linguistics. The extent to which bilingualism impacts emotional regulation, the impact of bilingualism on emotional regulation, and the negative effects of emotional regulation on pupils are all topics that could be explored in future studies. Even though students have a far easier time keeping their emotions in check when speaking a foreign language, they can exert a reasonable emotional power when speaking their native language, which is deeply meaningful to them.
References
Bialystok, E., & Craik, F. I. (2022). How does bilingualism modify cognitive function? Attention to the mechanism. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, pp. 1–24.
Festman, J., Czapka, S., & Winsler, A. (2021). How many moderators does it take till we know… that too many bilingual advantage effects have died. Understanding Variability in Second Language Acquisition, Bilingualism, and Cognition: A Multi-Layered Perspective.
Leivada, E., Mitrofanova, N., & Westergaard, M. (2021). Bilinguals are better than monolinguals at detecting manipulative discourse. PloS one, 16(9), e0256173.
Pliatsikas, C., Meteyard, L., Veríssimo, J., DeLuca, V., Shattuck, K., & Ullman, M. T. (2020). The effect of bilingualism on brain development from early childhood to young adulthood. Brain Structure and Function, 225(7), 2131–2152.
Tiv, M., Kutlu, E., & Titone, D. (2021). Bilingualism moves us beyond the ideal speaker narrative in cognitive psychology. In Bilingualism Across the Lifespan (pp. 29-46). Routledge.
Vargas Fuentes, N. A., Kroll, J. F., & Torres, J. (2022). What Heritage Bilinguals Tell Us about the Language of Emotion. Languages, 7(2), 144.