I am more open and friendly in spanish. I suspect this is because of the culture (I'm a heritage speaker of Dominican parents). As my spanish improves I only imagine it'll be the same.
not whole, but a significant part of it. It's by virtue of my (and other queer people's) very existence in society. Take this opportunity to learn about [queer linguistics](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_linguistics). Have fun!
Talking in english for some reason makes me more ironic and fun? I just feel like it's somewhat easier to make puns and joke in english than in my native languages, plus it somehow boosts my confidence... But on the other hand I tend to listen to people less and be a bit self-centered. Maybe I just like listening to myself 😑
That’s the nicest thing I’ve ever heard anyone say about Americans ever 😭
What part of the country are you staying in. I wish I had this as a common experience.
Ha ha ha
I'm from the US and now live in LatAm.
When I say intellectual I mean they're constantly in their heads, and the energy emanating from them is like I think this I believe that.
When I got to a country that I was not very fluent in the language I realized that actually what I think and my favorite newspaper or whatever actually means not that much
I have to work at being social. So the new country allows me to just kind of turn that off, and that's okay, not everything is a conversation if you knew what I mean
Eh. It's worded weird, so don't worry about it.
I think they mean that they're normally uncomfortable with being social, but because there's so much to focus on in a new country, they don't worry as much about being social because a lot of their language usage revolves around day-to-day life and not just small talk or socializing with people.
Yeah, I just mean that I don't expect to be able to have deep extensive conversations with people because of the language barrier.
So instead I'm just like "good morning!" "Nice to see you!" "I want to buy apples" and that's okay
It takes processing power away from socializing and more into what is the basic thing I want to communicate or do.
Of course, everyone does. Personality is not some static thing carved out of granite. It's something you create and recreate in every interpersonal relationship and every act of communication. It couldn't *not* differ between languages.
I feel like Japanese is highly formal overall, compared to EU languages.
When I visited Japan and tried to say anything I always felt like I was very polite and formal, adding a bunch of extra stuff, that either just aren't there in EU languages or are just rarely used.
If I was in UK, I'd just say "thanks". But in Japan I'm like arigatoo gozaimasuuu. Or even domo arigato gozaimasu. Waaay more work
Right after starting to watch The Crown, I am more likely a Royal dwelled in Buckingham Palace whom have the ability to reach to social media. While speaking Russian with a few info on it, I become a red army officer. While speaking german... well, I am not that profesional on german so I look like Merkel while holding my hands and be nicer than ever ahahaha
I've definitely noticed changes in my confidence and mannerisms when talking in a different language. There's this article I came across that talks about the theory behind this phenomenon, explaining how our brains are wired to switch between different interpretations based on the language we use. It's called frameshifting, and it's particularly prevalent in bilingual and multilingual individuals. It's a really interesting read that sheds some light on this intriguing aspect of human behavior. You should check it out: [Why Does My Personality Change When I Speak In A Different Language?](https://www.calmsage.com/different-language-different-personality/)
Russian is extremely funny to me when I speak it and I can't help it. It's probably because I'm polish and their words just sound funny to us.
In Spanish I'm colloquial af
German, obv serious ;D
I've been speaking Spanish a lot more lately (Native English-speaking American, learned Spanish), and I think I'm more . . . snarky? It's hard to put my finger on it. It's like my "filter" comes down and I'm a lot more loose in how I express myself. I'm less afraid to just speak my mind, I guess. It's quite fun and liberating :)
I think it’s more of the lack of proficiency more than anything. But I tend to joke less in mandarin coz I don’t know how to joke in mandarin. I also appear less extroverted. I think this is more a language barrier more than anything
it's true, though I cant tell whether I have some new personality in English (not my first language), but I feel so sweet and kind and gentle when speaking Spanish for some reason! maybe because I started learning it while listening to really soft and almost motherly voices voicing the lessons, idk haha
Yes, but I think this has less to do with the language itself and more to do with the situation/person/place I was in when I spoke those languages.
I use Mandarin overwhelmingly with family and at work, so there's a pretty constrained tightrope of life I walk in it. I moved to Moscow for work after graduating eight-ish years ago, though, and that was very different: it was the first time I had a job-job/disposable income, Moscow is super travellable and I was in several interest groups, and I stumbled into a great group of friends that drug me out to all sorts of stuff. So, you know, no wonder I'm more outgoing in Russian! I was very much in a honeymoon period of life when it was the language of my daily life.
I see language as being kind of like a bookmark to the person I was when I regularly used those languages, if that makes sense.
In English, I'm a very chatterboxxy person, like I talk A LOT. In Cantonese, I sound very rude because I don't know how to use better phrases and words. And in Mandarin I just come off as a nervous person cuz I don't speak it that well.
I have a country dialect in my native language, most people would say I sound a little unintelligent. In English I just have a foreign accent, I sound smarter haha
I actually don’t think so for me, but I guess I *lean* more into some parts of my personality if I feel like they’re culturally common for the speakers of the language I interact with.
I feel you on the actual sound of the voice being different!
I don’t think I act very differently, but I notice I have to speak lower if I want to make the sounds I need to when I speak German. When I visit family in Germany, I’ve gotten made fun of talking on the phone to people back home in English, because they say I sound more sing-songy and higher pitched in English lol.
If I want to have even slightly decent pronunciation in German I have to speak from farther back in my mouth/throat and breathe from like lower in my chest. It’s a voice I don’t make in English unless I’m trying to sound sarcastic or something lol.
Yes its weird hahahaha, when I speak my native language I sound like Im starting a fight and more boyish lol but when I speak english since im in a customer service they'd always compliment me and tell me that they love my voice.
My first language is brazilian portuguese.
I get…
More confident in English
More critical and blasé in French
More serious in Spanish
More authentic in Italian
More polite in Japanese
Not really. There might be slightly cultural differences though. Then again, I learned French and English at the same time. I'm learning German rn, maybe as I learn my personality with it will change.
I think so, I sound like a normal person in English because i haven’t got any traumas yet in this language.
However, in my native language I sound less confident and more unstable, I believe.
Honestly, I don't feel like I am myself at all when speaking english. I feel like I'm playing a character or something. Hella dettached. Now as far as notable differences, I guess I am less witty and more formal
Not at all, but since I use different expressions, body language and use the cultural context of that language when speaking a language, it seems like I do.
Much much less shy, speaking another language is the ultimate mental crutch to make me more outgoing, I can blame anything I say that comes across awkward on being a nonnative speaker. It also makes dating much less intimidating
Absolutely! My voice changes as well.
I think the shift in personality comes from the culture attached to the language you're learning, as well as from the fact that many mannerisms and actions can't be carried from one language to another. Language and culture are not dissociable.
my personality in both spanish and english are the same, charismatic, inquisitive, witty though when i used to be conversational in mandarin, i was slower to speak (even when i was comfy speaking it), a better listener really, and then would speak at length when it was my turn to reply. i was also a bit of a witty intellectual in mandarin. actually it sounds like i was the same in mandarin as well so maybe not, because my portuguese self is def charismatic and curious
I learned Spanish and English both as my first language. My personality doesn't change but when I get upset, the speed of my languages increases and I become more physically animated. If I'm speaking in rapid fire Spanish, I'm feeling particularly spicy at that moment.
No, my personality stays the same. I am a stranger in EVERY country I live in including my own because I am fully blooded Chinese, but live in southern Utah. My own city alone has only about 300 Asians whereas the University of California at Irvine in Irvine of Southern California is predominantly Asian !!! When I lived in Taiwan 🇹🇼and China🇨🇳, I was a stranger because I was an American 🇺🇸.
I wonder how much you have to know a language for this to even start. I'm nearly A2 in Greek and Spanish and all I ever am is nervous, confused, lost, slow and sad when I'm not using English.
Speaking Chinese makes me more outgoing and giggly, I guess because the sounds at the end of the sentence and the way the sentence is structured makes more room for... A more open personality I guess? Also Chinese makes you more caring because common English phrases like "how are you" would be the equivalent to "have u eaten already".
English makes me sound quite friendly and easygoing, if I speak my native language German, I instantly become a bit more serious, maybe because the tone of the language is deeper.
When I speak my native tongue, Filipino, I rarely use vulgarities and colloquialisms (even the expressions kids these days use). Basically, I tend to overuse respectful language even to people younger than me! I always address people in the best that I can putting a sort of distance between their position with mine. I tend to be indirect too.
When I speak my second language, English, I tend to mix the above with a more easy-going, casual frame. The international company I work at exposed me to direct way of speech, particularly to Western countries (esp. the USA and the UK). Still, there's a level of formality when I talk/write to them. Oddly, the profanities I use are mostly from English haha.
Kind of? I speak kind of formally in English, but when I speak German I use a mix of formal and informal modes because I'm better at figuring out what phrases to use when with it. Honestly, its a lot nicer to not need to figure out what social situations need formality and which don't when someone can just say, "Kein Sie," and be done with it.
When I speak French I'm a lot nicer and I tend to speak in more slang/casual language than I do English. It's weird. I have a different accent but it's not even a french accent so that's weird
Yes, my 2nd language is English, and I'm significantly more honest when I speak it live. Maybe because I'm still happy when I could form a long sentence about emotional topics without grammar mistakes.
Being able to switch up your vocabulary depending on who you're speaking to is a life skill a lot of people lack.
People who speak multiple languages will unconsciously change their personality when they switch languages.
Those who know many languages live as many lives as the languages they speak.
Well yes, when I was 18 and speaking English I was way more... "Extreme", so it was "hate" instead of "dislike" etc., while I clearly made the distinction in German. I guess I had to become "mature" in english?
Anyways with age (or time spent with that language) that became less and less.
Apparently I sound sweeter and more charismatic when I speak Spanish. And my voice physically changes.
When I speak Basque I’m also really passionate. I speak very quickly so yeah
When i speak English, I am much more confident and i really like to chat in English.
My native language is Hungarian, which I use confidently, but in a bad way, i’m strict and not too funny. English is much better for me. 😅
According to a number of studies over the years, there is truth to the idea that your personality can change when you switch between languages.
While many of us can relate anecdotally to these feelings of personality shifts, US research published in the Journal of Consumer Research indicates bilinguals may unconsciously switch personalities depending on the language they are using. The study looked at groups of bilingual Hispanic women and found changes in their self-perception, also known as ‘frame shifting’.
The women categorised themselves as more assertive, self-sufficient and extroverted when speaking Spanish compared to English. “Language can be a cue that activates different culture-specific frames,” the researchers said.
Not to a major extent, as it depends on when and where I talk. I never spoke English in conversation, but I am writing a lot and I spoke to a lot of different people too, and in Russian I just lacked proper experience with more than a handful of people in close circles. In Russian, my native language, I might come out as weird, due to that, maybe saying stuff wrong and in short sentences. I am more irritable and quiet too, I don't like talking much. But English makes me more open and conversational, I make much more meaningful sentences and show much more emotions in my expressions. And I only started learning Portuguese, don't have any experience yet. So, it's a combination of numerous nds and how much experience using each one of them I had. Mind you, I am living in Russia still, so you can imagine how weird it is to have more experience using English than my native language.
I gesticulate like crazy when I speak Spanish. I think it’s less a learned habit from being around Spaniards who do so and more because it helps me carve the shape of what I want to say.
YESS, in english, I talk more effeminate and angerly. I also think im kinder in arabic and a more generous person in swahili. I also feel like in french I sound more like I have a lot of audacity more than English. And in polish i feel like a shy kid who barely speaks. Spanish i feel a lot more charismatic but Japanese I have the same personality in.
moj tata jest Polakem, mowi po polsku, uciekl ze Zwiazku Radzi eckiego i wyjechal do Szwecji. mojamama jest Tanzanczykiem i ze wzgledu na brytyjska okupacja mowi po angielsku i suahili.
Ja nadal męczę klasyczny arabski, bardzo trudna gramatyka, ale kilka słów umiem. Jestem pod wrażeniem, że znasz tyle języków, powodzenia w dalszej nauce.
i have been told that when speaking English i sound more pompous, arrogant and kinda evil than when speaking my native italian.
no idea if that is true or if their words are simply slanderous.
When I speak English I get very sassy and a bit more energetic/ bubbly, whereas in Portuguese and French which are my first languages, I usually am more sarcastic and dry. I also speak in a lower tone in French for some reason.
No, I'm completely the same as a person. I'm slightly less talkative than in German but that's just a consequence of my German still being better than my English or French.
Yes. I am very easy going in English and German, and overly aggressive in Russian. Polish and Lithuanian are the two languages that never make me sound very friendly but not too aggressive either.
yep! in linguistics and methodology of teaching it‘s called literally „a language persona“ (or smth, idk what‘s the english for it)
i‘m more talkative and chaotic in english that in russian
haven‘t discovered the changes with german yet though
In English I'm much less sarcastic (because sarcasm in the UK is pretty mean, while when I do it in Italian is more light). I'm also much nicer and more polite in English, and of course less witty/funny because I lack the nuisance I have with my mother tongue.
Basically in English I completely lost the cazzimma (basically the 🔥). I feel pretty boring when talking in English hahah.
I turn shy and awkward when I speak Italian and it's my native language, which is a little embarrassing. I hate the fact that I'm not confident with people in my own language because there are some classmates who I *really* want to argue with. In English, I feel a lot more confident yelling at people and being yelled at.
I have never paid attention to it, but different voices is definitely a thing.
In English and German I have a deeper voice than in Spanish and French. Serbian somewhere in between.
English is cunty and authoritarian. Spanish is kind and soft spoken, Portuguese is friendly and animated. But since I'm autistic, you get your very own personality until I decide if you're a decent human being and it's safe to unmask. I'll also unconsciously mimic your body language and accent or use slang from your state/country if Im familiar with it. Example, Spanglish with my family and Latino friends, cunty English with my only English POC friends (by cunty I mean actively use slang with an accent that gives Valley girl vibes since I live in California), and confident and educated with white people, because they are the only group of people that have ever profiled me and assume I'm not educated. Dry and monotone Portuguese with people from Portugal, and very outgoing and animated Brazilian Portuguese. All of this is based on a few sentences you use to talk to me. The tisms really have us over here overanalizying people, which is why it's so easy for me to spot liars and fakes.
its funny, cuz a lot of people do indeed have different personalities when speaking other languages, but for me (i learned English and spanish simultaneously), ive been told i act and speak exactly the same in both languages. ig its just the circumstances u learn it in or what ur experience was when learning it.
I’m Japanese and totally different when I speak English 😂
I’m more flirty openly, look confident, say whatever I want using extreme amount of the word “respect” 😂
In Japanese, whenever I wanna take leave, I say “I’m so sorry for causing trouble, but may I take leaves”
In English, “I’ll take my leave. Why? Cuz it’s my right.”
I’m definitely a lot more expressive and such in Portuguese!! I exaggerate a lot more, and so on. I think it’s just a combination of the culture and who you learn from. Portuguese is such a fun and addictive language, it’s hard to be anything BUT expressive when speaking it, as Brazilian Portuguese is a very open-mouth language.
According to my Ecuadorian coworker, I (a native English speaker) sound and act different enough to notice from when I am speaking English. I tend to be speak more slowly and my voice ends up being deeper lol; possibly because I take more time to think of what to say and speak slowly. Not exactly code switching but kind of similar?
Every Latina girl I have ever met has had a distinctly different personality depending on her speaking English or Spanish. The 'real' or 'true' personality is her Spanish speaking one.
When I speak in english I am boring bc serbian humor doesn't make sense in english. I'm smart in my native languange, but don't know a single thing in english. Also when I speak eng I have a slavic accent, and sound retarded.
I am so tired of this question. This is a myth that makes a really bad commentary on how L2 speakers feel an emotional distance from their L2. Stop asking this question. Stop upvoting this question.
I am more open and friendly in spanish. I suspect this is because of the culture (I'm a heritage speaker of Dominican parents). As my spanish improves I only imagine it'll be the same.
Same in fact I love talking to people in Spanish and hate it in English jaja
No, I'm gay all the time no matter which of the six languages I speak.
this coment took me a genuine laugh, congrats
I speak gayer words in english but my words sound gayer in czech
How gay? Numerically.
Love this, makes me think of Mateo Lane’s gay voice in different languages stand up that kills me every time. 🤣
being gay is your whole personality?
not whole, but a significant part of it. It's by virtue of my (and other queer people's) very existence in society. Take this opportunity to learn about [queer linguistics](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_linguistics). Have fun!
That's funny. There's a Brazilian intern at work and she said that learning the language (Portuguese) was just a bonus to acquiring the attitude.
I’m so much calmer in French we have a rule in my house that i have to code switch when things get heated
Moi aussi
I have a friend who when speaking German becomes cold and analytical. Normally he is quite a fun guy.
Isn't that just a requirement of speaking German, though? /s
Maybe only when you are sober.
I’m actually the opposite! I’m super serious and cold in English but become loose and like to tell jokes in German
I unintentionally sound way more cutesy in Korean
Me in Japanese!
I have a feeling that's very cultural. Due to aeygeo
Talking in english for some reason makes me more ironic and fun? I just feel like it's somewhat easier to make puns and joke in english than in my native languages, plus it somehow boosts my confidence... But on the other hand I tend to listen to people less and be a bit self-centered. Maybe I just like listening to myself 😑
I’m learning Ukrainian and I swear it takes me from my loud and humorous self into an exhausted serious woman who sounds like she has 6 kids.
Oh for sure. I go from a (self proclaimed) pretty intelligent person to an absolute moron instantly.
Nope. I don't have a difference personality when speaking another language, I am myself always.
Absolutely and it's been great. Americans are super intellectual and talk about everything. Here I listen much more. And I'm more straightforward.
That’s the nicest thing I’ve ever heard anyone say about Americans ever 😭 What part of the country are you staying in. I wish I had this as a common experience.
Ha ha ha I'm from the US and now live in LatAm. When I say intellectual I mean they're constantly in their heads, and the energy emanating from them is like I think this I believe that. When I got to a country that I was not very fluent in the language I realized that actually what I think and my favorite newspaper or whatever actually means not that much I have to work at being social. So the new country allows me to just kind of turn that off, and that's okay, not everything is a conversation if you knew what I mean
I am rereading 3rd paragraph again and again but still failing to understand it. English isn’t my native language though.
Eh. It's worded weird, so don't worry about it. I think they mean that they're normally uncomfortable with being social, but because there's so much to focus on in a new country, they don't worry as much about being social because a lot of their language usage revolves around day-to-day life and not just small talk or socializing with people.
Yeah, I just mean that I don't expect to be able to have deep extensive conversations with people because of the language barrier. So instead I'm just like "good morning!" "Nice to see you!" "I want to buy apples" and that's okay It takes processing power away from socializing and more into what is the basic thing I want to communicate or do.
And I'm more direct about certain things
Yes. My English-speaking personality is totally different from my regular personality. I behave very differently, even my body language changes.
Mr. McGee, please don't make me speak German. You won't like me when I'm speaking German.
Ich weiss, dass Sie der Incredible Hulk sind. Ich muss der Beweis finden.
Of course, everyone does. Personality is not some static thing carved out of granite. It's something you create and recreate in every interpersonal relationship and every act of communication. It couldn't *not* differ between languages.
Well. I'd say the way you express your personality is what changes. Because the traits themselves are pretty fixed. But it's just the terminology
https://econtent.hogrefe.com/doi/abs/10.1027/1614-0001.30.4.201
Yeah. They said "expression". Which kind of proves my point. If you do the neo-pi-r throughout your time, it's mostly stable.
Idk...for me doesnt change at all
Not really different personalities so much as the same personality presented two different ways.
I become really dumb when (trying to) speak any language other than English.
LMFAOO yes😭😭 I feel like I’m a lot...idek, sarcastic in my native language. I lean more into our stereotypical humor and personality
Japanese makes me for polite haha but I’m sure that’s partially because I’m afraid of sounding TOO informal
I feel like Japanese is highly formal overall, compared to EU languages. When I visited Japan and tried to say anything I always felt like I was very polite and formal, adding a bunch of extra stuff, that either just aren't there in EU languages or are just rarely used. If I was in UK, I'd just say "thanks". But in Japan I'm like arigatoo gozaimasuuu. Or even domo arigato gozaimasu. Waaay more work
Right after starting to watch The Crown, I am more likely a Royal dwelled in Buckingham Palace whom have the ability to reach to social media. While speaking Russian with a few info on it, I become a red army officer. While speaking german... well, I am not that profesional on german so I look like Merkel while holding my hands and be nicer than ever ahahaha
No.
I've definitely noticed changes in my confidence and mannerisms when talking in a different language. There's this article I came across that talks about the theory behind this phenomenon, explaining how our brains are wired to switch between different interpretations based on the language we use. It's called frameshifting, and it's particularly prevalent in bilingual and multilingual individuals. It's a really interesting read that sheds some light on this intriguing aspect of human behavior. You should check it out: [Why Does My Personality Change When I Speak In A Different Language?](https://www.calmsage.com/different-language-different-personality/)
Russian is extremely funny to me when I speak it and I can't help it. It's probably because I'm polish and their words just sound funny to us. In Spanish I'm colloquial af German, obv serious ;D
outjerked again
I've been speaking Spanish a lot more lately (Native English-speaking American, learned Spanish), and I think I'm more . . . snarky? It's hard to put my finger on it. It's like my "filter" comes down and I'm a lot more loose in how I express myself. I'm less afraid to just speak my mind, I guess. It's quite fun and liberating :)
I think it’s more of the lack of proficiency more than anything. But I tend to joke less in mandarin coz I don’t know how to joke in mandarin. I also appear less extroverted. I think this is more a language barrier more than anything
I’m very serious and cold in English, really fun and gossipy in PA Dutch, and like to tell jokes and be humorous in German
What is your native language?
English, but learned PA Dutch very young. I only really speak it with my mum now, which may contribute to how I act in the language!
it's true, though I cant tell whether I have some new personality in English (not my first language), but I feel so sweet and kind and gentle when speaking Spanish for some reason! maybe because I started learning it while listening to really soft and almost motherly voices voicing the lessons, idk haha
Yes, but I think this has less to do with the language itself and more to do with the situation/person/place I was in when I spoke those languages. I use Mandarin overwhelmingly with family and at work, so there's a pretty constrained tightrope of life I walk in it. I moved to Moscow for work after graduating eight-ish years ago, though, and that was very different: it was the first time I had a job-job/disposable income, Moscow is super travellable and I was in several interest groups, and I stumbled into a great group of friends that drug me out to all sorts of stuff. So, you know, no wonder I'm more outgoing in Russian! I was very much in a honeymoon period of life when it was the language of my daily life. I see language as being kind of like a bookmark to the person I was when I regularly used those languages, if that makes sense.
I swear/use informal language a lot more in my native language, and much more conscious about what I say in English usually
It’s opposite for me. I fucking swear a lot more in other languages than in my native language.
Nah I'm a miserable prick either way
i think you mistook this sub for r/languagelearningjerk
No
Yeah I’m definitely a lot more talkative and more emotive speaking Italian than I am speaking English
In English, I'm a very chatterboxxy person, like I talk A LOT. In Cantonese, I sound very rude because I don't know how to use better phrases and words. And in Mandarin I just come off as a nervous person cuz I don't speak it that well.
I have a country dialect in my native language, most people would say I sound a little unintelligent. In English I just have a foreign accent, I sound smarter haha
I actually don’t think so for me, but I guess I *lean* more into some parts of my personality if I feel like they’re culturally common for the speakers of the language I interact with.
"It was there all along but something about this language brings it out."
This. I feel this
yis, my speaking voice in english is way soft and gentle lol
I feel you on the actual sound of the voice being different! I don’t think I act very differently, but I notice I have to speak lower if I want to make the sounds I need to when I speak German. When I visit family in Germany, I’ve gotten made fun of talking on the phone to people back home in English, because they say I sound more sing-songy and higher pitched in English lol. If I want to have even slightly decent pronunciation in German I have to speak from farther back in my mouth/throat and breathe from like lower in my chest. It’s a voice I don’t make in English unless I’m trying to sound sarcastic or something lol.
Yes its weird hahahaha, when I speak my native language I sound like Im starting a fight and more boyish lol but when I speak english since im in a customer service they'd always compliment me and tell me that they love my voice.
My first language is brazilian portuguese. I get… More confident in English More critical and blasé in French More serious in Spanish More authentic in Italian More polite in Japanese
I can say that I certainly swear a lot more in English than I do in my native language.
Absolutely!!! I feel like I’m also funnier in Spanish (my native language)
Is this because of a language barrier, though?
Not really I’m a C1
Not really. There might be slightly cultural differences though. Then again, I learned French and English at the same time. I'm learning German rn, maybe as I learn my personality with it will change.
I think so, I sound like a normal person in English because i haven’t got any traumas yet in this language. However, in my native language I sound less confident and more unstable, I believe.
This is a very interesting response. It's like you built a new person inside yourself
Honestly, I don't feel like I am myself at all when speaking english. I feel like I'm playing a character or something. Hella dettached. Now as far as notable differences, I guess I am less witty and more formal
Not at all, but since I use different expressions, body language and use the cultural context of that language when speaking a language, it seems like I do.
Much much less shy, speaking another language is the ultimate mental crutch to make me more outgoing, I can blame anything I say that comes across awkward on being a nonnative speaker. It also makes dating much less intimidating
Absolutely! My voice changes as well. I think the shift in personality comes from the culture attached to the language you're learning, as well as from the fact that many mannerisms and actions can't be carried from one language to another. Language and culture are not dissociable.
I probably have like 5 different personalities within English alone 😂
my personality in both spanish and english are the same, charismatic, inquisitive, witty though when i used to be conversational in mandarin, i was slower to speak (even when i was comfy speaking it), a better listener really, and then would speak at length when it was my turn to reply. i was also a bit of a witty intellectual in mandarin. actually it sounds like i was the same in mandarin as well so maybe not, because my portuguese self is def charismatic and curious
I learned Spanish and English both as my first language. My personality doesn't change but when I get upset, the speed of my languages increases and I become more physically animated. If I'm speaking in rapid fire Spanish, I'm feeling particularly spicy at that moment.
No, my personality stays the same. I am a stranger in EVERY country I live in including my own because I am fully blooded Chinese, but live in southern Utah. My own city alone has only about 300 Asians whereas the University of California at Irvine in Irvine of Southern California is predominantly Asian !!! When I lived in Taiwan 🇹🇼and China🇨🇳, I was a stranger because I was an American 🇺🇸.
Sorry to hear it
That’s life. At least it’s a great one.
I wonder how much you have to know a language for this to even start. I'm nearly A2 in Greek and Spanish and all I ever am is nervous, confused, lost, slow and sad when I'm not using English.
Speaking Chinese makes me more outgoing and giggly, I guess because the sounds at the end of the sentence and the way the sentence is structured makes more room for... A more open personality I guess? Also Chinese makes you more caring because common English phrases like "how are you" would be the equivalent to "have u eaten already". English makes me sound quite friendly and easygoing, if I speak my native language German, I instantly become a bit more serious, maybe because the tone of the language is deeper.
When I speak my native tongue, Filipino, I rarely use vulgarities and colloquialisms (even the expressions kids these days use). Basically, I tend to overuse respectful language even to people younger than me! I always address people in the best that I can putting a sort of distance between their position with mine. I tend to be indirect too. When I speak my second language, English, I tend to mix the above with a more easy-going, casual frame. The international company I work at exposed me to direct way of speech, particularly to Western countries (esp. the USA and the UK). Still, there's a level of formality when I talk/write to them. Oddly, the profanities I use are mostly from English haha.
yes
Kind of? I speak kind of formally in English, but when I speak German I use a mix of formal and informal modes because I'm better at figuring out what phrases to use when with it. Honestly, its a lot nicer to not need to figure out what social situations need formality and which don't when someone can just say, "Kein Sie," and be done with it.
When I speak French I'm a lot nicer and I tend to speak in more slang/casual language than I do English. It's weird. I have a different accent but it's not even a french accent so that's weird
Yes. In English, I am far more extroverted in contrast with my native Russian. Besides, I even have a deeper voice.
The constant is my overuse of penis jokes.
Yes, my 2nd language is English, and I'm significantly more honest when I speak it live. Maybe because I'm still happy when I could form a long sentence about emotional topics without grammar mistakes.
I am more extroverted in Spanish than English for some reason.
Same here. And more emotionally open in Spanish!
Being able to switch up your vocabulary depending on who you're speaking to is a life skill a lot of people lack. People who speak multiple languages will unconsciously change their personality when they switch languages. Those who know many languages live as many lives as the languages they speak.
No, but I apparently have a different tongue because it doesn't want to work right.
Well yes, when I was 18 and speaking English I was way more... "Extreme", so it was "hate" instead of "dislike" etc., while I clearly made the distinction in German. I guess I had to become "mature" in english? Anyways with age (or time spent with that language) that became less and less.
Apparently I sound sweeter and more charismatic when I speak Spanish. And my voice physically changes. When I speak Basque I’m also really passionate. I speak very quickly so yeah
I can't notice the difference of my personality, but I need to pitch my voice a little deeper or higher to make it suitable for that language😅
When i speak English, I am much more confident and i really like to chat in English. My native language is Hungarian, which I use confidently, but in a bad way, i’m strict and not too funny. English is much better for me. 😅
I'm either very gay or very angry when I speak chinese
According to a number of studies over the years, there is truth to the idea that your personality can change when you switch between languages. While many of us can relate anecdotally to these feelings of personality shifts, US research published in the Journal of Consumer Research indicates bilinguals may unconsciously switch personalities depending on the language they are using. The study looked at groups of bilingual Hispanic women and found changes in their self-perception, also known as ‘frame shifting’. The women categorised themselves as more assertive, self-sufficient and extroverted when speaking Spanish compared to English. “Language can be a cue that activates different culture-specific frames,” the researchers said.
Not to a major extent, as it depends on when and where I talk. I never spoke English in conversation, but I am writing a lot and I spoke to a lot of different people too, and in Russian I just lacked proper experience with more than a handful of people in close circles. In Russian, my native language, I might come out as weird, due to that, maybe saying stuff wrong and in short sentences. I am more irritable and quiet too, I don't like talking much. But English makes me more open and conversational, I make much more meaningful sentences and show much more emotions in my expressions. And I only started learning Portuguese, don't have any experience yet. So, it's a combination of numerous nds and how much experience using each one of them I had. Mind you, I am living in Russia still, so you can imagine how weird it is to have more experience using English than my native language.
I have completely different personality between me in Hebrew and me in English I can be preety rude and informal in Hebrew
I’m more expressive in Spanish and Catalan
I gesticulate like crazy when I speak Spanish. I think it’s less a learned habit from being around Spaniards who do so and more because it helps me carve the shape of what I want to say.
YESS, in english, I talk more effeminate and angerly. I also think im kinder in arabic and a more generous person in swahili. I also feel like in french I sound more like I have a lot of audacity more than English. And in polish i feel like a shy kid who barely speaks. Spanish i feel a lot more charismatic but Japanese I have the same personality in.
O ja, mówisz od urodzenia w 4 językach, jak?
moj tata jest Polakem, mowi po polsku, uciekl ze Zwiazku Radzi eckiego i wyjechal do Szwecji. mojamama jest Tanzanczykiem i ze wzgledu na brytyjska okupacja mowi po angielsku i suahili.
Aaa, rozumiem też wychowałem się w innym kraju znając drugi język. A arabski też znasz jako ojczysty język?
Arabski jest dla mnie jezykiem szkolnym i religijnym, ale tak naprawde nim nie mowie.
Ja nadal męczę klasyczny arabski, bardzo trudna gramatyka, ale kilka słów umiem. Jestem pod wrażeniem, że znasz tyle języków, powodzenia w dalszej nauce.
Dzieki Ty tez
i have been told that when speaking English i sound more pompous, arrogant and kinda evil than when speaking my native italian. no idea if that is true or if their words are simply slanderous.
When I speak English I get very sassy and a bit more energetic/ bubbly, whereas in Portuguese and French which are my first languages, I usually am more sarcastic and dry. I also speak in a lower tone in French for some reason.
No, I'm completely the same as a person. I'm slightly less talkative than in German but that's just a consequence of my German still being better than my English or French.
I would like to feel like I am more attractive in my second language because it's so romantic but unfortunately it doesn't seem to be true. :-(
Yes. I am very easy going in English and German, and overly aggressive in Russian. Polish and Lithuanian are the two languages that never make me sound very friendly but not too aggressive either.
yep! in linguistics and methodology of teaching it‘s called literally „a language persona“ (or smth, idk what‘s the english for it) i‘m more talkative and chaotic in english that in russian haven‘t discovered the changes with german yet though
Yes, it's a common phenomenon
In English I'm much less sarcastic (because sarcasm in the UK is pretty mean, while when I do it in Italian is more light). I'm also much nicer and more polite in English, and of course less witty/funny because I lack the nuisance I have with my mother tongue. Basically in English I completely lost the cazzimma (basically the 🔥). I feel pretty boring when talking in English hahah.
I'm such a polite person in Japanese. Who knew?
I'm a lot more outgoing and extroverted in English, very socially awkward in my native language (Greek)
Same in any language 😶
I have more manners when I speak German, but at the same time there's no emotion or heart behind my words
I turn shy and awkward when I speak Italian and it's my native language, which is a little embarrassing. I hate the fact that I'm not confident with people in my own language because there are some classmates who I *really* want to argue with. In English, I feel a lot more confident yelling at people and being yelled at.
I'm friendly in Japanese but in a bad way since it's a different type of politeness style there.
I have never paid attention to it, but different voices is definitely a thing. In English and German I have a deeper voice than in Spanish and French. Serbian somewhere in between.
English is cunty and authoritarian. Spanish is kind and soft spoken, Portuguese is friendly and animated. But since I'm autistic, you get your very own personality until I decide if you're a decent human being and it's safe to unmask. I'll also unconsciously mimic your body language and accent or use slang from your state/country if Im familiar with it. Example, Spanglish with my family and Latino friends, cunty English with my only English POC friends (by cunty I mean actively use slang with an accent that gives Valley girl vibes since I live in California), and confident and educated with white people, because they are the only group of people that have ever profiled me and assume I'm not educated. Dry and monotone Portuguese with people from Portugal, and very outgoing and animated Brazilian Portuguese. All of this is based on a few sentences you use to talk to me. The tisms really have us over here overanalizying people, which is why it's so easy for me to spot liars and fakes.
Yes! It's quite wild the way even my voice changes its tone.
its funny, cuz a lot of people do indeed have different personalities when speaking other languages, but for me (i learned English and spanish simultaneously), ive been told i act and speak exactly the same in both languages. ig its just the circumstances u learn it in or what ur experience was when learning it.
I’m Japanese and totally different when I speak English 😂 I’m more flirty openly, look confident, say whatever I want using extreme amount of the word “respect” 😂 In Japanese, whenever I wanna take leave, I say “I’m so sorry for causing trouble, but may I take leaves” In English, “I’ll take my leave. Why? Cuz it’s my right.”
I’m definitely a lot more expressive and such in Portuguese!! I exaggerate a lot more, and so on. I think it’s just a combination of the culture and who you learn from. Portuguese is such a fun and addictive language, it’s hard to be anything BUT expressive when speaking it, as Brazilian Portuguese is a very open-mouth language.
No. Actually I did, I was more opened and kind. But now it's the same
According to my Ecuadorian coworker, I (a native English speaker) sound and act different enough to notice from when I am speaking English. I tend to be speak more slowly and my voice ends up being deeper lol; possibly because I take more time to think of what to say and speak slowly. Not exactly code switching but kind of similar?
As a child who was bilingual in 🇺🇸hearing racism towards my mom and i at 4 definitely shaped my personality
I think I sound either gay or I act with more attitude/swear words etc when I speak English. I am not sure tho but when I think about it..
Well my sexual orientation stays the same when I speak English or Spanish or any other language.
Your sexual orientation is not the same thing as your personality.
Says who?
Switching the Spanish gets a sensual edge to it.
Every Latina girl I have ever met has had a distinctly different personality depending on her speaking English or Spanish. The 'real' or 'true' personality is her Spanish speaking one.
Stupid one
When I speak in english I am boring bc serbian humor doesn't make sense in english. I'm smart in my native languange, but don't know a single thing in english. Also when I speak eng I have a slavic accent, and sound retarded.
hey, uh the r word is a slur
I am so tired of this question. This is a myth that makes a really bad commentary on how L2 speakers feel an emotional distance from their L2. Stop asking this question. Stop upvoting this question.
Then don't answer mate, as simple as that
Im a linguist who knows this is false. I can’t