http://wjel.sciedupress.com World Journal of English Language Vol. 13, No. 5; 2023 Published by Sciedu Press 347 ISSN 1925-0703 E-ISSN 1925-0711 Emotional Resonance of Arabic-English Bilinguals Rawan Kh. Alenezi 1 & Yousuf B. AlBader 2 1 Independent Researcher from Kuwait 2 English Department, College of Basic Education, The Public Authority for Applied Education and Training, Kuwait Correspondence: Yousuf B. AlBader, English Department, College of Basic Education, The Public Authority for Applied Education and Training, Kuwait. E-mail: yb.albader@paaet.edu.kw Received: February 23, 2023 Accepted: March 31, 2023 Online Published: April 13, 2023 doi:10.5430/wjel.v13n5p347 URL: https://doi.org/10.5430/wjel.v13n5p347 Abstract The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis has inspired many researchers to investigate the relationship between language and thought. However, little attention has been paid to Arabic. The current study aimed to examine Arabic-English bilinguals‘ perceptions of emotional words in their first and second languages. In addition, the current study aimed to detect whether gender is a significant variable affecting individuals‘ viewpoints. The sample consists of 20 men and 29 women, with ages ranging from 19 to 31 years. The study adopted both qualitative and quantitative methods in which the participants rated each question on a 5-point Likert scale. In addition, open-ended questions obtained informative responses from the participants. An independent t-test was used to detect differences between men and women. The results indicate that Arabic-English bilinguals feel higher emotional intensity when using their first language than when using their second. In addition, the participants‘ independent variables, such as frequency of use, language proficiency, and context of acquisition, were significant because they affected their perception of emotional words in their first and second languages. Moreover, the results did not indicate any gender differences between men and women. Thus, this study provides insights into Arabic-English bilinguals‘ perceptions of emotional terms in both languages. Keywords: Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, emotional resonance, Arabic-English bilingualism, Kuwait 1. Introduction The emotional resonance of individuals who are fluent in Arabic and English is an essential concept for studying bilingualism. People who speak these two languages can experience, comprehend, and empathise with the emotions of their speakers, allowing them to bridge the gap between very distinct and different cultures and gain a more in-depth understanding of the feelings associated with each language group. This will result in improved links and communication between the two language groups and can lead to a society in which people from various backgrounds can better understand each other. Language is a communicative tool that enables people to interact with each other and also influences the speaker‘s thinking and perception. Wolff and Holmes (2011) state that language shapes the way people think about and perceive the world. People from different speaking countries may have different perceptions of emotional words, and colours, for example. Consequently, the speakers of two or more languages have different conceptual representations. Wierzbicka (2004) has reported that bilinguals/multilinguals have multiple selves as they describe themselves. They propose that the same story could be told differently depending on the language used; therefore, the same story could have different connotations and illocutionary effects. A growing body of literature has investigated the relationship between language and emotionality to determine whether the Whorfian hypothesis correlates with reality. Bilinguals are expected to have different perceptions of emotional words in their first (L1) and second (L2) languages. Moreover, various independent variables (e.g. age, gender, level of proficiency, and frequency of use) are crucial in determining bilinguals‘ emotional resonance and connotations of emotional words in their L1 and L2. For instance, many language researchers and specialists have examined different types of emotions such as anger, happiness, and sadness. For example, Dewaele (2004) focuses on swearwords and taboo words (S-T) and their illocutionary/perlocutionary effects among bi- and multilinguals. Dewaele (2008) also examines the resonance of the phrase ―I love you‖ in multilinguals‘ languages in another research. Various other studies have also revealed bilinguals‘ autobiographical memories since they provide evidence for feeling emotionally charged when using their L1 or L2 (Schrauf, 2000; cf. Mortensen et al., 2015). Taboo words continue to be widely employed in research on emotional resonance in language processing because of their powerful emotional resonance. Controlling for the equivalent taboos of words in other languages can be challenging. Regarding a person‘s L1, the severity of punishment for using taboo words (particularly among children) can vary significantly across time and society (Weimer et al., 2022). According to Colbeck and Bowers (2012), bilinguals are more likely to be influenced by taboo terms in their L1 than in their L2. This holds true even if a bilingual person speaks both languages fluently and frequently. Arguably, bilinguals‘ perspectives can be significantly influenced by variables such as gender, and bilinguals tend to process taboo terms differently concerning their spoken