LANGUAGE AND THE SELF: HOW PERSONALITY SHIFTS ACROSS LANGUAGES

The research investigates how the students who study linguistics perceive their personality traits and emotional state when they speak their native (L1) compared to English (L2). The brief questionnaire was destributed to linguistics students who then shared their language switching experiences. The research findings indicate that students experience minimal shifts in their self-assurance and emotional state, however, their L2 boosts their confidence while reducing their social anxiety. This findings suggest that language proficiency and emotional distance in L2 can have a significant impact on one’s communicational style. It was also observed that most participants thought that the language affected the way they expressed themselves, but it did not affect who they really were. The study also reveals that the role of language is to facilitate communication as well as emotions, emphasizing the importance of emotional and psychological factors in the process of successful language acquisition.