The accessibility of memories varies across languages –
the Language-Dependent Memory phenomenon – has implications for
interviewing bilingual witnesses in legal cases, accessing traumatic memories
of events and providing psychotherapy to bilingual clients.
The memories that come to the forefront, in turn, shape
how we think about ourselves and the frameworks we use. Languages can even
affect how one experiences love and hate. ‘I love you’ feels different in a
native versus a non-native language. A native language packs more emotional
punch. Which is also why some multilinguals prefer the use of a non-native
language when they feel they need some emotional distance.
There is now a sizeable body of research under the
umbrella of the Foreign Language Effect suggesting that people make more
logical and rational decisions in a non-native language in a variety of spheres
ranging from moral judgements to financial allocations.
--- Viorica Marian, The Power of Language:
Multilingualism, Self and Society. 2023.
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