BIROn - Birkbeck Institutional Research Online

‘A voice from elsewhere’: acculturation, personality and migrants’ self-perceptions across languages and cultures

Panicacci, Alessandra and Dewaele, Jean-Marc (2017) ‘A voice from elsewhere’: acculturation, personality and migrants’ self-perceptions across languages and cultures. International Journal of Multilingualism , ISSN 1479-0718.

[img]
Preview
Text
17927.pdf - Author's Accepted Manuscript

Download (691kB) | Preview

Abstract

The majority of multilinguals immersed in different cultures report feeling different when switching languages. Although the influence of personality on self-perceptions has been investigated, little attention has been paid to acculturation aspects. The present study is based on a mixed-method approach combining questionnaire and interview data. Participants are 468 Italian migrants living in English-speaking countries. Results suggest that participants’ personality characteristics determined their sense of belonging to either the heritage or host cultural scenarios. Migrants reporting to feel different when using the local language scored significantly lower on Emotional Stability and Social Initiative and were less attached to the host culture compared to those who reported feeling no change. More specifically, respondents’ Emotional Stability and attachment to host culture practices constrained their sense of feeling different when using the local language

Metadata

Item Type: Article
Additional Information: This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis, available online at the link above.
Keyword(s) / Subject(s): Multilingual identities, personality, cultural orientation, acculturation, migration, bilingualism, emotions
School: Birkbeck Faculties and Schools > Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences > School of Creative Arts, Culture and Communication
Depositing User: Jean-Marc Dewaele
Date Deposited: 16 Jan 2017 10:44
Last Modified: 25 Jul 2025 20:35
URI: https://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/id/eprint/17927

Statistics

6 month trend
919Downloads
6 month trend
296Hits

Additional statistics are available via IRStats2.

Archive Staff Only (login required)

Edit/View Item
Edit/View Item