Nearly two-thirds bilingual said they see personality differences as they switch between languages. Would that mean there is a strong connection between personality shifts and the switching of the language spoken?
Sometimes people feel like they have more than one version of themselves. I believe this will be especially relatable to most bilinguals. Speaking two languages in daily life, bilinguals may have a feeling of acting like another person as they change the language they speak.
Even says the Czech proverb, “Learn a new language and get a new soul.” Language affects the way we think, feel and behave, and so probably shaping our personality.
In “Multilingual Have Multiple Personalities” from The New Republic, Alice Robb claims the acquisition of a new language comes with the development of a new personality. Also a bilingual, I find this congruent, seeing how I jump to “quiet and easy-going” from “chatty and gregarious” when I switch to speaking English from speaking Chinese. One possible explanation I think of for the situation is linguistic relativity.
Linguistic relativity, a hypothesis which linguists have been discussing for decades, argues the way one perceives the world is influenced by the language one speaks. One example from the Language file is the grammatical gender of a word which affects the way people see objects. German-speakers describe a key as “hard” and “heavy” as “key” is a masculine word in German. On the other hand, Spanish-speakers use words like “little” and “pretty” because the word is feminine in Spanish. Speaking of this, I recall how I conceptualize time differently in Chinese and English. In Chinese, I think with a vertical timeline, whereas in English, I think with a horizontal timeline. Therefore, it is certain that language has some level of influence on our thought.
Assuming language affects thought, it is reasonable to go further and think that language shapes personality just like how it shapes thoughts, but what there was not a personality shift in the first place? What if the “two souls” we observed is actually the same soul?
Indeed, the way we behave and the content of our speech may change when we switch between languages. However, it does not necessarily mean our personality shifts. Even when we stick with one language, what we do and say change depending on whom we are with and what character we are in that particular circumstance. At school, we could be that polite and calm students, while at a football game, we could be that loud and impulsive fans. This might be the same when we switch between languages. As we speak a different language, the audience changes, so even for the same scenario, reactions in one language could be different from another.
There are days we feel like being positive and there are days we just feel pessimistic. The “personality shift” we observe or feel may just be our daily adaption to the environment. That is to say, language does influence thoughts at a certain amount. Yet, more has to be analyzed before we determine whether a new personality comes with the acquisition of a new language.
Christy's Journey 
As a multilingual person, I find this post very relatable very much so. Sometimes I find myself being all quiet and sometimes I feel the loudest. However, I also noticed that it is not only about the language we speak that changes our behavior, I thought another thing that affects our personality is the way we feel comfortable around something. I realized that even though I am around people who speak the same language that I am more capable with. I still sometimes see myself being all shy or something. Furthermore, as you get more at ease with someone or something you become more lively. Letting more emotions and feelings to those who are around you, whether you speak the same language or not. Nevertheless, having to speak using the language you grew up with lets you be more dynamic that sometimes you find yourself like being something or someone else than you are, usually. This topic is very interesting knowing that you relate with it makes it feel great to know what others have felt too!
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As a person who is bilingual, I find this blog very relatable and also very imfortative as there are a lot of facts that I was not aware of. I had never really put into thought how much the languages I spoke had impacted my life as a whole until I read this amazing blog.
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While some people may feel like they are switching from different personalities or versions of themselves, I do not think I have felt that way myself. I am bilingual and most the time I speak my language other than English is with my family and friends. But even then, I try to not stick to one language. I like to talk in both which is often referred to as Spanglish and that does not make me feel like I am switching souls or personalities.
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I’ll be perfectly honest, I’ve never thought of bilingualism as anything other than the face value dialect that leaves a persons mouth. Personally I’m terrible at learning new languages so I can’t attest to any personal experiences, but I found it fascinating that there might be a psychological change. There’s been plenty of tests that have studied brain activity with specific emotions, such as what areas are functioning “more” than others in correlation to different emotions, and I was wondering if that could be applied here. Take a bilingual person such as yourself, and expose them to two different environments where they speak their native language then the one they learned. Perhaps a change in attitude suggests a desire to belong more frequently with that group of speakers? Interesting topic, gave me a lot to think about.
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I have never thought about how bilingualism would affect how I feel, think, and behave. After reading this blog post, I start to notice the difference in my personality. When I speak English, I tend to be quieter. The only time I would be loud is perhaps when I start swearing. Whereas when I’m speaking in Chinese (both Cantonese and Mandarin), my voice would be as loud as a speaker. But I also think the environment in which I use a language also affects how I feel, think, and behave. I typically use English in class and in class I tend to be shy. But outside of class, with my friends or family, I feel much more comfortable talking in Chinese. Furthermore, I believe that when it comes to expressing my own thoughts, I often find it easier to think it through in Chinese. It’s because there are times when I can think of something in Chinese but can’t explain it in English.
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I agree that there is a secure connection between personality shifts and the switching of the language spoken. When I talk to Chinese, I am an outgoing girl. I talk very quickly and fluently and am willing to start a conversation with others because it is my mother language, and I am confident with my tongue. However, when I speak English, not only speaking is not fluent, but also my thinking is restricted. Although there is an idea in my mind, I cannot switch it into English. That is why I choose to say nothing and gradually become an introvert.
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The title is very intriguing. It enticed the reader to completely read this post and figure out what the phrase ‘one person, two souls’ means in relation to this topic. I can relate to this because my boyfriend is bilingual, and when I see him speak Spanish to his family, he seems more poise and professional. This may be due to him mainly learning the language to be able to communicate with others in a professional manner. It is interesting how there’s a Czech proverb that introduced the idea that by learning a new language, you gain a new soul. I didn’t realize how some words may be interpreted as more masculine or feminine due to how their language may have them sound. It is true how the environment and audience will affect your vocabulary, and it is not a surprise that this also goes when speaking in different languages. I enjoyed reading your post because it gives us an insight that some people may change their personality based on the language they are speaking.
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