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Journals / Uluslararası Yabancı Dil Olarak Türkçe Öğretimi Dergisi / 2026 / Cilt: 9 Sayı: 1

Emotion Perception and Expression by Second Language Users of Turkish

Türkçeyi İkinci Dil Olarak Konuşan Bireylerde Duygu Algısı ve İfadesi

Filiz Mergen(İZMİR EKONOMİ ÜNİVERSİTESİ)0000-0002-9583-9153
Pages
97–113
Publication Date
2026-06-30
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AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

The findings revealed that the frequency of Turkish use, the learning environment, and the length of stay in Turkey did not significantly affect participants' preferences.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

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Objective & Hypothesis:With multilingualism becoming a fundamental necessity of modern life, the psychological dynamics involved in acquiring Turkish as a second language have increasingly attracted researchers' attention.
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Key Findings & Data:However, significant findings suggest that certain factors can enhance this effect.
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Conclusion & Impact:The findings revealed that the frequency of Turkish use, the learning environment, and the length of stay in Turkey did not significantly affect participants' preferences.
🔬Design:Araştırma Makalesi
📍Scope:2023 Verileri
⚙️Variables:Ana dili · duygu algısı · duygu ifadesi

Abstract

With multilingualism becoming a fundamental necessity of modern life, the psychological dynamics involved in acquiring Turkish as a second language have increasingly attracted researchers' attention. In particular, the simultaneous development of language and emotion systems in the human brain during childhood complicates the transfer of emotions across languages. It is widely accepted that the emotional impact of a subsequently learned language is weaker compared to that of the mother tongue. However, significant findings suggest that certain factors can enhance this effect. This study aims to explore the relationship between the frequency of second language use, the learning environment, and the length of stay in the target language country, which are considered the most influential among these factors. The participants (N=56) are late bilinguals with various first languages who learned Turkish in Turkey. Using the RER-LX Scale (Emotionality in a Second Language Scale) developed by Toivo et al. (2023), participants were asked to compare their emotional perception and language preferences in various emotion-laden situations in Turkish with their native language. The findings revealed that the frequency of Turkish use, the learning environment, and the length of stay in Turkey did not significantly affect participants' preferences. Data analysis showed that all groups exhibited similar attitudes, except for items involving specific preferences, such as listening to romantic songs. Additionally, it was determined that the participants' predominant use of English in their work environments, despite residing in Turkey, played a role in these outcomes. These results corroborate the existing literature emphasizing the primacy of the native language in the use and perception of emotion-laden language. In this context, the findings clearly indicate that educators teaching Turkish as a foreign language should incorporate the emotional perception and expression of the target language into their lesson planning.

Özet

Birden fazla dil bilmenin modern yaşamın temel gerekliliklerinden biri hâline gelmesiyle birlikte, Türkçenin ikinci dil olarak edinimi sürecindeki psikolojik dinamikler de araştırmacıların dikkatini çekmeye başlamıştır. Özellikle insan beyninde dil ve duygu sistemlerinin çocukluk çağında eş zamanlı olarak gelişmesi, diller arası duygu aktarımını karmaşıklaştırmaktadır. Ana dilinden sonra öğrenilen dilin bireylerde oluşturduğu duygu etkisinin ana diline kıyasla daha az olduğu ağırlıklı olarak kabul edilen bir görüştür. Ancak bazı faktörlerin bu etkiyi artırdığına dair önemli bulgular edinilmiştir. Bu çalışmanın amacı; bu faktörler arasında en güçlü olduğu düşünülen ikinci dilin kullanım sıklığı, öğrenme ortamı ve bu dilin konuşulduğu ortamda kalma süresi arasındaki ilişkiyi ortaya çıkarmaktır. Katılımcılar (N=56), farklı ana dili konuşan ve Türkçeyi Türkiye’de öğrenmiş olan geç iki dilli bireylerdir. Kendilerinden Toivo vd. (2023) tarafından geliştirilen RER-LX Ölçeğini (Sonradan öğrenilen dildeki duygusallık ölçeği) kullanarak Türkçede farklı duygu içerikli ortam ve durumlardaki duygusallık algısını ve dil tercihlerini ana diline göre kıyaslamaları istenmiştir. Çalışmanın bulguları, bu kıyaslamada Türkçenin kullanım sıklığının, Türkçeyi öğrenme ortamının ve Türkiye’de kalma süresinin katılımcıların tercihlerini etkilemediğini ortaya çıkarmıştır. Verilerin analizi sonucunda, romantik şarkı dinleme tercihi gibi spesifik ifadeler barındıran maddeler dışında, tüm grupların benzer bir tutum sergilediği görülmüştür. Ayrıca katılımcıların Türkiye’de yaşamalarına rağmen iş ortamında ağırlıklı olarak İngilizceyi kullanmalarının da bu sonuçta etkili olduğu saptanmıştır. Bu sonuçların literatürdeki duygu içerikli dil kullanımı ve algısında ana dilinin önceliği görüşünü kuvvetlendirdiği söylenebilir. Bu bağlamda elde edilen bulgular, Türkçenin yabancı dil olarak öğretiminde görev alan eğitimcilerin ders planlamalarında hedef dilin duygu algısı ve ifadesini de dikkate almaları gerektiğini açıkça göstermektedir.

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Cite This Article

Mergen, F. (2026). Emotion Perception and Expression by Second Language Users of Turkish. Uluslararası Yabancı Dil Olarak Türkçe Öğretimi Dergisi, Cilt: 9 Sayı: 1, 97–113. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20650466

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