<p>Both of my parents and I are multilingual. We come from Czech Republic and have learned multiple languages through our lives as we moved around.</p>

<p>I have noticed, even within myself that I "feel" different speaking a European language compared to English. </p>

<p>Not being able to go into the neurobiology of brain plasticity and change within when developing with multiple languages I can give my understanding through Psychology.</p>

<p>I think that language can be contextual in different parts of a persons life if it is a progression in time from one language to another as opposed to learning multiple languages at the same time. This in turn can build associations that bind the language with emotion at the time of learning the language.</p>

<p>For example, when I learned Czech until I was 7, which I have a different emotional connection and association with. So when I hear it and speak it I feel different. I feel calmer and my stress level decrease, I also realised I have different reactions to circumstances. </p>

<p>However when I deal with day to day life in English I feel more assertive and actually aggressive in my speech and reactions.</p>

<p>I believe that the learned associations between the language and the persons life can create a type of personality that isn't necessarily a split personality as it is the same cognitive person.</p>

<p>Sorry if I used the wrong expressions in trying to describe the scenarios from my own experience and introspection on the same topic.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-30T03:59:55.290Z
2016-05-30T03:59:55.290Z
Johnny Lipa
<p>That is a really interesting question. There are some studies that found that the emotional response is strong in one's native language compared to languages that are acquired later. For instance, a study by Harris and colleagues found that physiological arousal was stronger to swear words or childhood reprimands in the first language of the participants compared to a fluent second language [1]. For bilinguals, the response was similar for both languages.   </p>

<p>Coming back to your question, this could indicate that people might display different personalities, because they judge the emotional content of language differently in their non-native language. This could have to do with the context in which the language was learned, i.e. in infancy versus classroom learning. Alternatively, differences in exposure might make a difference, because hearing words and phrases in many different context provides a better understanding of their connotations. </p>

<p>[1] Harris, C. L., Aycicegi, A., &amp; Gleason, J. B. (2003). Taboo words and reprimands elicit greater autonomic reactivity in a first language than in a second language. Applied Psycholinguistics, 24(04), 561–579. <a href="http://doi.org/10.1017/S0142716403000286" rel="noreferrer">http://doi.org/10.1017/S0142716403000286</a></p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-21T09:50:45.263Z
Nice answer. *Bilinguals*, in this context, means people who have been fluent in both languages since childhood? As opposed to people who learned a second language later? (I thought *bilingual* could refer to both?)
Fiksdal
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-21T10:17:08.660Z
It seems like the Harris study did not report the precise definition of bilinguals in their sample. Some authors define native or bilingual language as exposure to the language before 4 years of age. However, that depends on the question of the study. 'Bilingual' proficiency does not necessarily depend on the age of acquisition, but there are some differences in the mechanisms. For example, early acquisition is not accompanied by a foreign accent. One could therefore distinguish between bilinguals and high proficiency second-language speakers.
Joe Bathelt
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2016-05-21T10:20:50.030Z
Alright, I see.
Fiksdal
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-21T09:46:09.410Z
2016-05-21T09:46:09.410Z
Joe Bathelt
<p>Edit: <a href="http://www.nature.com/scientificamericanmind/journal/v17/n3/full/scientificamericanmind0606-6.html" rel="nofollow">This study is much more relevant</a> in terms of the question. </p>

<p><a href="http://pss.sagepub.com/content/26/4/518" rel="nofollow">This study</a> suggests (according to article linked below) that a multilingual person can have multiple personalities, each tied to one of the languages that he or she speaks.</p>

<p>Here's an <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3004943/Being-bilingual-really-two-minds-Researchers-say-people-different-personalities-language.html" rel="nofollow">article about the study.</a> </p>

<p>One personality may be active when the person is interacting in one language, another when interacting in another language, etc.</p>

<p>I have seen this phenomena very distinctly in myself.</p>

<p>Why does this happen?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-20T18:30:46.670Z
Very nice questions! I have no answer but perhaps a hypothesis. The people you talk to in another language are usually people from a different group. The social context might be different, therefore explaining different behavior.
Robin Kramer-ten Have
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-20T18:33:39.813Z
@RobinKramer Yes, that makes sense.
Fiksdal
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-21T03:31:29.533Z
Could you give some more detailed description of the study findings? Just reading the abstract, I didn't get "multiple personalities" out of it.
user3169
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-21T03:36:25.607Z
@user3169 Here's a  simple summary based on the study: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3004943/Being-bilingual-really-two-minds-Researchers-say-people-different-personalities-language.html
Fiksdal
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-21T03:44:54.383Z
Could you edit your question to add this?
user3169
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-21T03:48:57.800Z
@user3169 Done.
Fiksdal
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-28T17:27:25.150Z
@Fiksdal Rather than just linking (and expecting the reader to follow the link, and hoping it never goes stale), could you add a blockquote of the particular segments in the text which are relevant to your question? Ideally, your edits also aren't labeled 'edit'. Just update the overall question to improve on it so it stands on its own. The 'evolution' of the question is irrelevant for future visitors (and regardless can still be seen in the edit history).
Steven Jeuris
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-28T18:04:45.897Z
@StevenJeuris Honestly, I haven't read any of the studies, just the short summary in the newspaper. The reason for stating "edit' is because the answer from the user called "what" became sort of non-fitting after the edit, yet, he/she was the one who pointed me to that link. I didn't want that answer to seem silly, so I marked it as an edit.
Fiksdal
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-02-15T01:55:12.103Z
@RobinKramer great point. There is also the similar but related phenomenon of cultural distance. Most conversations in which I use my L2 impose on me an additional cognitive load (beyond simply grammar and vocabulary) of understanding cross-cultural social issues and trying to prevent discrepancies in our respective implicit assumptions that naturally increases my stress level and could impact what emotions I portray.
Robert Columbia
<personality><language><psychology><cross-cultural-psychology>
Why do people have different personalities when speaking different languages?
Fiksdal
# Why do people have different personalities when speaking different languages?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2016-05-20)

Edit: [This study is much more relevant](http://www.nature.com/scientificamericanmind/journal/v17/n3/full/scientificamericanmind0606-6.html) in terms of the question.

[This study](http://pss.sagepub.com/content/26/4/518) suggests (according to article linked below) that a multilingual person can have multiple personalities, each tied to one of the languages that he or she speaks.

Here's an [article about the study.](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3004943/Being-bilingual-really-two-minds-Researchers-say-people-different-personalities-language.html)

One personality may be active when the person is interacting in one language, another when interacting in another language, etc.

I have seen this phenomena very distinctly in myself.

Why does this happen?

**Tags:** personality, language, psychology, cross-cultural-psychology

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Very nice questions! I have no answer but perhaps a hypothesis. The people you talk to in another language are usually people from a different group. The social context might be different, therefore explaining different behavior.  
> **username_0**: @RobinKramer Yes, that makes sense.  
> **username_2**: Could you give some more detailed description of the study findings? Just reading the abstract, I didn't get "multiple personalities" out of it.  
> **username_0**: @username_2 Here's a  simple summary based on the study: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3004943/Being-bilingual-really-two-minds-Researchers-say-people-different-personalities-language.html  
> **username_2**: Could you edit your question to add this?  
> **username_0**: @username_2 Done.  
> **username_3**: @username_0 Rather than just linking (and expecting the reader to follow the link, and hoping it never goes stale), could you add a blockquote of the particular segments in the text which are relevant to your question? Ideally, your edits also aren't labeled 'edit'. Just update the overall question to improve on it so it stands on its own. The 'evolution' of the question is irrelevant for future visitors (and regardless can still be seen in the edit history).  
> **username_0**: @StevenJeuris Honestly, I haven't read any of the studies, just the short summary in the newspaper. The reason for stating "edit' is because the answer from the user called "what" became sort of non-fitting after the edit, yet, he/she was the one who pointed me to that link. I didn't want that answer to seem silly, so I marked it as an edit.  
> **username_4**: @RobinKramer great point. There is also the similar but related phenomenon of cultural distance. Most conversations in which I use my L2 impose on me an additional cognitive load (beyond simply grammar and vocabulary) of understanding cross-cultural social issues and trying to prevent discrepancies in our respective implicit assumptions that naturally increases my stress level and could impact what emotions I portray.  

---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_6 on 2016-05-21. Score: 6 | Accepted answer

That is a really interesting question. There are some studies that found that the emotional response is strong in one's native language compared to languages that are acquired later. For instance, a study by Harris and colleagues found that physiological arousal was stronger to swear words or childhood reprimands in the first language of the participants compared to a fluent second language [1]. For bilinguals, the response was similar for both languages.

Coming back to your question, this could indicate that people might display different personalities, because they judge the emotional content of language differently in their non-native language. This could have to do with the context in which the language was learned, i.e. in infancy versus classroom learning. Alternatively, differences in exposure might make a difference, because hearing words and phrases in many different context provides a better understanding of their connotations.

[1] Harris, C. L., Aycicegi, A., & Gleason, J. B. (2003). Taboo words and reprimands elicit greater autonomic reactivity in a first language than in a second language. Applied Psycholinguistics, 24(04), 561–579. <http://doi.org/10.1017/S0142716403000286>

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Nice answer. *Bilinguals*, in this context, means people who have been fluent in both languages since childhood? As opposed to people who learned a second language later? (I thought *bilingual* could refer to both?)  
> **username_6**: It seems like the Harris study did not report the precise definition of bilinguals in their sample. Some authors define native or bilingual language as exposure to the language before 4 years of age. However, that depends on the question of the study. 'Bilingual' proficiency does not necessarily depend on the age of acquisition, but there are some differences in the mechanisms. For example, early acquisition is not accompanied by a foreign accent. One could therefore distinguish between bilinguals and high proficiency second-language speakers.  
> **username_0**: Alright, I see.  

---

### Answer by username_5 on 2016-05-30. Score: 5

Both of my parents and I are multilingual. We come from Czech Republic and have learned multiple languages through our lives as we moved around.

I have noticed, even within myself that I "feel" different speaking a European language compared to English.

Not being able to go into the neurobiology of brain plasticity and change within when developing with multiple languages I can give my understanding through Psychology.

I think that language can be contextual in different parts of a persons life if it is a progression in time from one language to another as opposed to learning multiple languages at the same time. This in turn can build associations that bind the language with emotion at the time of learning the language.

For example, when I learned Czech until I was 7, which I have a different emotional connection and association with. So when I hear it and speak it I feel different. I feel calmer and my stress level decrease, I also realised I have different reactions to circumstances.

However when I deal with day to day life in English I feel more assertive and actually aggressive in my speech and reactions.

I believe that the learned associations between the language and the persons life can create a type of personality that isn't necessarily a split personality as it is the same cognitive person.

Sorry if I used the wrong expressions in trying to describe the scenarios from my own experience and introspection on the same topic.


---

