Jean-Marc Dewaele

Extraversion: The Unloved Variable in Applied Linguistic Research

The relatively small number of linguistic studies in which extraversion is focussed on as an independent variable suggests that applied linguists believe it unrelated to speech production or language learning. We argue that this suspicion is based on a misunderstanding originating in the 1970s. Reappraisal of the literature suggests that extraversion may not be a predictor of success in second language learning but does affect both L1 and L2 speech production. An analysis of the psychological literature on extraversion allowed us to formulate a number of hypotheses about the causes of linguistic variation in the speech of introverts and extraverts.

Personality and speech production: a pilot study of second language learners

Abstract Personality traits, and extraversion in particular, has long been unjustly neglected in applied linguistics. Some cognitive and physiological characteristics associated with extraversion, such as superior short-term memory and better resistance to stress, can explain interindividual variation in speech production. Working within the theoretical framework of Levelt, 1989 , de Bot, 1992 , we analysed the French oral interlanguage of 25 Flemish university students and related this to their EPI scores. Correlational analyses between extraversion scores and 6 linguistic variables reflecting fluency and accuracy revealed that extravert bilinguals are more fluent than introvert bilinguals, especially in interpersonal stressful situations. Different hypotheses are presented to explain this phenomenon.

Emotion Vocabulary in Interlanguage

Recent research in linguistics singles out emotion words as different from other abstract words. The goal of this article is to examine five factors that may impact the use of L2 emotion vocabulary. The first study considers the impact of language proficiency, gender, and extraversion on the use of emotion words in the advanced French interlanguage of 29 Dutch L1 speakers. The second examines the influence of sociocultural competence, gender, and type of linguistic material on the use of emotion vocabulary in the advanced English IL of 34 Russian L1 speakers. Combined, the results of the two studies demonstrate that the use of emotion words in IL is linked to proficiency level, type of linguistic material, extraversion, and, in some cases, gender of IL speakers.

The effect of multilingualism/multiculturalism on personality: no gain without pain for Third Culture Kids?

Abstract The present study investigates the link between multilingualism/multiculturalism, acculturation and the personality profile (as measured by the Multicultural Personality Questionnaire) of 79 young London teenagers, half of whom were born abroad and had settled down in London during their childhood ‘Third Culture Kids’ (TCKs; Pollock & Van Reken, 2001). Statistical analyses revealed that TCKs scored higher on the dimension of Openmindedness and Cultural Empathy and scored lower on Emotional Stability. Language dominance (first language (L1), L1 and one or two other languages (multidominance), or any language which is not the L1 (LX) had a significant effect on the participants’ personality profile, with the multidominant group scoring significantly higher on Openmindedness, marginally higher on Cultural Empathy and significantly lower on Emotional Stability than participants dominant in one language only. The number of languages known by participants was also significantly linked to their personality profile, with functional multilinguals scoring significantly higher than incipient bilinguals on Openmindedness, marginally higher on Cultural Empathy and significantly lower on Emotional Stability. These findings confirm that personality is shaped by social and biographical factors. Acculturation is stressful but the experience of having to fit in and being in contact with different languages and cultures strengthens Cultural Empathy and Openmindedness.

The effect of multilingualism, sociobiographical, and situational factors on communicative anxiety and foreign language anxiety of mature language learners

The present study focuses on individual differences in levels of communicative anxiety (CA) and foreign language anxiety (FLA) in the first (L1), second (L2), third (L3) and fourth (L4) language of 106 adult language learners. Data were collected about CA/FLA levels when speaking with friends, with strangers, and speaking in public. The analyses revealed that multilinguals do experience more CA in stressful situations in their L1, but that levels of FLA are higher in languages learnt later in life. The knowledge of more languages was linked to lower levels of FLA in the L2. Female participants were only found to experience higher levels of CA in L1 public speech. Older participants tended to report higher levels of CA/FLA across languages. Rank orders for CA/FLA were significantly similar across the L1, L2, L3, and L4, which suggests that levels of CA/FLA are relatively stable and could be linked to a lower order personality trait such as emotional intelligence.

Maîtriser la norme sociolinguistique en interlangue française: le cas de l'omission variable de ‘ne’

L’acquisition de la norme sociolinguistique francaise pose des problemes considerables aux locuteurs non-natifs. L’analyse de la variation dans l’omission du ne dans un corpus d’interlangue avancee de 27 apprenants neerlandophones interviewes dans une situation informelle et formelle confirme que l’instruction formelle est insuffisante pour la maitrise de la norme sociolinguistique native. Une majorite de locuteurs omettent le ne un peu moins souvent dans une situation formelle mais la variation va dans le sens oppose pour une minorite de locuteurs. L’observation et surtout la participation a des interactions authentiques avec des locuteurs natifs stimulent l’acquisition de la norme sociolinguistique. Une analyse statistique revele que differentes variables socio-biographiques, psychologiques et situationnelles determinent la variation intra- et interindividuelle dans les taux d’omission du ne.

The Use of Web Questionnaires in Second Language Acquisition and Bilingualism Research.

The present article focuses on data collection through web questionnaires, as opposed to the traditional pen-and-paper method for research in second language acquisition and bilingualism. It is argued that web questionnaires, which have been used quite widely in psychology, have the advantage of reaching out to a larger and more diverse pool of potential participants, which may increase the ecological validity of the resulting database. After considering some issues raised in debates on the strengths and weaknesses of traditional approaches to data collection through questionnaires as opposed to web-based questionnaires, we present two case studies of research designs based on online questionnaires, that is, the bilingualism and emotions questionnaire (Dewaele and Pavlenko, 2001/03) and the feelings questionnaire (Wilson, 2008). We reflect on the issue of participant self-selection and conclude that the potential benefits of web-based questionnaires can outweigh their limitations.

Is multilingualism linked to a higher tolerance of ambiguity

The present study investigates the link between multilingualism and the personality trait Tolerance of Ambiguity (TA) among 2158 mono-, bi- and multilinguals. Monolinguals and bilinguals scored significantly lower on TA compared to multilinguals. A high level of global proficiency of various languages was linked to higher TA scores. A stay abroad of more than three months was also linked to higher TA although the effect levelled off after one year. Growing up in a multilingual family had no effect on TA. These findings show that a high level of multilingualism makes individuals more at ease in dealing with ambiguity, but we acknowledge that a higher level of TA can also strengthen an individuals inclination to become multilingual.

The acquisition of sociolinguistic competence in French as a foreign language: An overview

The present contribution presents an overview of studies in French as a second (L2) and/or foreign language that consider the effects of extralinguistic variables (mostly instructional, experiential and situational factors) on the development of sociolinguistic competence. It focuses specifically on variation between informal and formal variants in phonology, morphology, morpho-syntax and the lexicon.

Multilingualism and affordances: Variation in self-perceived communicative competence and communicative anxiety in French L1, L2, L3 and L4

Abstract In this contribution, I investigate the effect of the knowledge of other languages on self-perceived communicative competence and communicative anxiety in the French of 953 users. I tested the hypothesis that knowledge of more languages, specifically other Romance languages, create stronger or clearer affordances (Singleton & Aronin, Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching 1: 83–96, 2007), which may have a strengthening effect on self-perceived communicative competence in French and lead to less communicative anxiety using that language. Using the database collected through a web-based questionnaire (Dewaele & Pavlenko, Web questionnaire Bilingualism and emotions, University of London, 2001–2003), I focused on participants who had French as an L1, L2, L3 or L4. The analyses suggest that when a language is either very strong or very weak, the knowledge of other languages does not play a major role. However, at intermediate levels of proficiency, multilingualism and affordances can serve as a crutch in challenging communicative situations.