Emotional expression in a foreign language. What factors influence the choice of a non-native language while expressing emotions

The present contribution is concerned with the expression of emotions in a foreign language. It seeks to investigate what factors among gender, educational level, exposure to a foreign language and culture, L2 use, length of stay in a foreign country, or self-perceived L2 proficiency might influence the choice of a foreign language for emotional expression. The statistical analysis of 102 Polish-English bilinguals and Polish L2 users of English responses to an online questionnaire measuring expression of emotions in a foreign language reviled that the L2 use, self-perceived L2 proficiency and frequent contact with the L2 were linked to the expression of emotions in a foreign language. The results of this study show the complexity of the relationship between language, culture and emotions, suggesting that the exposure to a foreign language and its culture might be the key factor facilitating the choice of a non-native language while talking about emotions.