Does our personality change when we speak in another language?



When it comes to what proportion of people speak more than one language, estimates vary, but the general consensus is that at least half of the world's population do so. If you're bilingual, you may well have encountered a fascinating phenomenon. A new personality seems to emerge when you switch languages.



What exactly do you mean by a new personality?



In March 2017, Quartz ran an article on this idea, written by Nicola Prentice. Prentice included accounts from a number of multilingual people, including Margarita, a Russian-American immigrant who fled the Soviet Union to escape antisemitism at the age of 19.



Margarita revealed that when she speaks Russian, she feels guarded, reserved and uncomfortable. However, when she switches to English, she describes herself as curious, outgoing and free. Margarita is far from the only person to have experienced the phenomenon, and there have even been studies on the subject.



A 2008 report published in the Journal of Consumer Research saw researchers observe Hispanic women conversing in English and Spanish. The results were telling. The women appeared more extroverted and confident when speaking Spanish.



Scientists use the term frame-shifting or perspective change to describe this phenomenon, which is rooted in the perception of the culture associated with the language being spoken. For example, Russian-American immigrant Margarita associated English with freedom, having decided to flee her native country.



Are you saying we're not necessarily more at ease in our own native language?



Exactly, but it is still a crucial factor for this simple reason. The more at ease we are with a particular language, the more likely we are to exhibit extroverted traits while using it.



Nathan Joel Young is a lecturer at the Center for Research on Bilingualism at the University of Stockholm. He's quoted in a February 2023 article on thelocal.se as saying, it's about how you think about the place where that language is from, or where you are getting that experience of the language. For example, home, work, TV. So alongside the cultural aspect, there's also the consideration that the language we use at work or at home may be associated with different facets of our personality.



Clara Skogmir-Marion, an expert in the social aspects of bilingualism, is also quoted in the same article. Her view is that it's not necessarily a complete personality shift, but more of an adaptive phenomenon, which can also be observed in certain other life situations like moving to a new country. There you have it.



词汇表

consensus [kənˈsensəs] 共识，一致意见

bilingual [ˌbaɪˈlɪŋɡwəl] 双语的；双语使用者

account [əˈkaʊnt] 描述，叙述

multilingual [ˌmʌltiˈlɪŋɡwəl] 多语言的；多语言使用者

Russian-American immigrant [ˈɪmɪɡrənt] 俄裔美国移民

Soviet Union [ˌsəʊviət ˈjuːniən] 苏联（1922-1991）

antisemitism [ˌæntiˈsemɪtɪzəm] 反犹太主义，排犹主义

guarded [ˈɡɑːdɪd] 谨慎的，提防的，有保留的

reserved [rɪˈzɜːvd] 拘谨的，含蓄的

Hispanic [hɪˈspænɪk] 西班牙裔的；西班牙裔人士

converse [kənˈvɜːs] 交谈，谈话

telling [ˈtelɪŋ] 显著的，有力的，说明问题的

extroverted [ˈekstrəvɜːtɪd] 性格外向的，外向型的

frame-shifting [freɪm ˈʃɪftɪŋ] 框架转换（语言或认知领域的术语）

be rooted in [ˈruːtɪd] 植根于，源于

flee her native country [fli] 逃离祖国，出国避难

bilingualism [baɪˈlɪŋɡwəlɪzəm] 双语能力，双语现象

facet [ˈfæsɪt] 方面，部分

adaptive [əˈdæptɪv] 适应的，有适应能力的



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