February 19, 2026 (Thursday), 19:30-20:45 (EST, Montreal)
More anxiety, more alignment? An exploratory study of emotions, emotional contagion, and lexical alignment in EFL learners’ interaction
JIAYI ZHANG
ABSTRACT
Alignment, hinging on interaction, contributes importantly to language acquisition; however, whether it is influenced by learners’ socio-affective factors remains underexplored. The current exploratory study used partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM), to examine the relationships among anxiety, enjoyment, emotional contagion, and lexical alignment, which was measured by multiple indices derived from dialogue transcripts, in adolescent EFL learners’ interaction. One hundred first-year high school students in China participated in the study. The results revealed that emotional factors played a key role in shaping learners’ alignment behaviour. Specifically, learners’ anxiety significantly and positively predicted lexical alignment, while enjoyment showed no such effect. Moreover, emotional contagion of anxiety influenced lexical alignment indirectly via learners’ own anxiety, indicating a full mediation pattern. The findings suggest that rather than being solely driven by automatic priming, lexical alignment is also sensitive to the emotional climate of peer interaction. Finally, the study provides pedagogical implications for the socio-affective dimensions of L2 interaction, underscoring the importance of taking emotional factors into account.
MExpressing emotions in a second language: What neuroimaging tells us about its mechanisms
YUTO AKI (安藝優人)
ABSTRACT
This study provides original data on the neurocognitive mechanisms of expressing emotions in first (L1) and second languages (L2). While research in emotion perception has demonstrated a general pattern for attenuated emotionality in the L2, whether and how this reduced emotional resonance would manifest in language production have remained unknown. The present study specifically targeted the conceptualizing stage of speech production and tested a novel hypothesis: that L2 emotion conceptualizing would be less linguistically constructed, resulting in weaker brain activation compared to the L1. Data from 27 participants supported this hypothesis, revealing that emotion conceptualizing during L2 production is less lexically driven, with reduced engagement of semantic and conceptual systems in the brain than the L1. Moreover, individual differences regarding daily L2 usage for emotional expression showed a positive relationship with activation in brain areas critical for semantic and affective processing. We push forward the idea that conceptualizing is language-dependent, and that L2 conceptualizing may also be a site of struggle for the L2 learner in addition to formulating.
Language of presentation: English, with examples in other languages
Mode of delivery: synchronous via Zoom
Registration required. Please click here.
The Grad Talks provide opportunities for graduate students (MA thesis and PhD) who are conducting research on language education and applied linguistics to showcase their work and receive constructive feedback. It also gives students an opportunity to build community of like-minded people, make connections, and network. Students can choose to present work at different stages of their research: initial, ongoing or completed.
Typically, graduate students have 20 minutes to do an informal presentation about a chosen topic followed by a 40-minute discussion with the audience. The talk can be guided by a Power Point presentation or an outline. The Grad Talks are delivered via Zoom (not video recorded) and they take place on Thursdays at a time that is convenient for you. This event is hosted by McGill University’s Faculty of Education. If you're interested in presenting at Grad Talks, contact Li Peng at li.peng2 [at] mail.mcgill.ca.
Grad Talks Team
Li Peng: Organizer
Laura Uribe Valencia & Yunjia Xie: Host
Angelica Galante: Coordinator
Grad Talks is sponsored by the Centre for the Study of Learning and Performance, and co-organized by the BILD Research Group and McGill's Department of Integrated Studies in Education (DISE).
