Taboo words and reprimands elicit greater autonomic reactivity in a first language than in a second language

TLDR

Second language speakers commonly acknowledge that taboo terms can be uttered with greater ease in their second language (L2) than in their first language (L1). The study aimed to investigate this phenomenon psychophysiologically by having 32 Turkish–English bilinguals rate stimuli for pleasantness in Turkish (L1) and English (L2) while monitoring skin conductance. Skin conductance was recorded via fingertip electrodes during the rating task to capture autonomic responses. Participants exhibited greater autonomic arousal to taboo words and childhood reprimands in their L1 compared to their L2, supporting the subjective experiences of L2 speakers. No additional metadata.

Abstract

Second language speakers commonly acknowledge that taboo terms can be uttered with greater ease in their second language (L2) than in their first language (L1). To investigate this phenomenon psychophysiologically, 32 Turkish–English bilinguals rated a variety of stimuli for pleasantness in Turkish (L1) and English (L2) while skin conductance was monitored via fingertip electrodes. Participants demonstrated greater autonomic arousal to taboo words and childhood reprimands (“ Shame on you! ” ) in their L1 compared to their L2. This finding provides quantifiable support for the subjective experiences of L2 speakers.