EMOTIONAL EXPRESSION AND LANGUAGE: A NEUROPSYCHOLINGUISTIC PERSPECTIVE

Аннотация

This paper explores the intersection of emotional expression and language from a neuropsycholinguistic perspective, focusing on how language facilitates the conceptualization and expression of emotions. The paper examines the distinction between emotional expression, conveyed through interjections and exclamations, and emotional conceptualization, achieved through more abstract linguistic structures. It highlights how various linguistic elements, including syntax and emotional morphology, contribute to expressing emotions. Additionally, the role of cultural and societal influences on emotional expression through language is discussed, alongside the impact of technology and digital communication platforms in shaping modern emotional expression. Keywords: emotional expression, psycholinguistics, linguistic personality, emotional lexicon, emotion words, emotional conceptualization, cultural influences. ЭМОЦИОНАЛЬНОЕСАМОВЫРАЖЕНИЕ И ЯЗЫК: НЕЙРОПСИХОЛИНГВИСТИЧЕСКАЯПЕРСПЕКТИВА Аннотация. Данная работа исследует пересечение эмоционального самовыражения и языка с психолингвистической точки зрения, с фокусом на том, как язык способствует концептуализации и выражению эмоций. В работе рассматривается различие между эмоциональным самовыражением, которое передается через междометия и восклицания, и эмоциональной концептуализацией, достигаемой с помощью более абстрактных лингвистических структур. Подчеркивается, как различные лингвистические элементы, включая синтаксис и эмоциональную морфологию, способствуют выражению эмоций. Также обсуждается роль культурных и социальных факторов, влияющих на эмоциональное самовыражение через язык, наряду с воздействием технологий и цифровых платформ на формированиесовременногоэмоциональногосамовыражения. Ключевые слова: эмоциональное самовыражение, психолингвистика, лингвистическая личность, эмоциональный лексикон, слова эмоций, эмоциональная концептуализация, культурные влияния. INTRODUCTION. Emotional expression, a fundamental aspect of human communication, is intricately linked with language. The ways in which emotions are conveyed through language are both complex and culturally varied, revealing much about the emotional and psychological experiences of individuals. From a psycholinguistic perspective, emotional expression is not only a matter of conveying feelings but also involves cognitive processes that influence how emotions are perceived, understood, and communicated. Emotions are deeply embedded in language, and 193 INTERNATIONAL MULTIDISCIPLINARY JOURNAL FOR RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT SJIF2019:5.2222020:5.5522021:5.6372022:5.4792023:6.5632024:7,805 eISSN:2394-6334 https://www.ijmrd.in/index.php/imjrd Volume12,issue02(2025) they significantly shape how we use words and phrases to express our emotional states. Neuropsycholinguistics, the study of the relationship between language and the human mind, sheds light on how language helps people conceptualize and express their emotions. When people use language to describe theiremotions, they are not onlylabeling their feelings but also engaging in a process of emotional processing. Language provides a structured way to organize and communicate emotions, which, in turn, affects how individuals experience and make sense of theiremotional worlds. METHODS. Recent neuropsycholinguistic research has proposed that emotion words should be considered a separate class in the mental lexicon. These words are processed differently from other types of words, such as abstract or concrete terms, due to their unique emotional content. This distinction is important because emotional words often trigger faster cognitive responses, particularly when they are high in emotional arousal and valence. For example, words with positive valence, such as “joy” or “love,” are processed more quickly than negative emotion words like “anger” or “fear,” a phenomenon known as positive valence bias. This suggests that theemotional impact ofa word affects howquickly thebrain processes it. The distinction between the expression and conceptualization of emotions is an important aspect of how emotions are represented in language. Emotional expression refers tothe outward display of emotions, often conveyed through interjections, exclamations, or emotionally charged words. For example, the exclamation “Wow!” expresses surprise or admiration, while “Yuk!” conveys disgust. On the other hand, emotional conceptualization involves the more complex mental processes that underlie how emotions are thought about or understood. This is often achieved through sentence structures that describe emotions in more abstract terms, such as “I find that food disgusting” or“I lovethissong.” Linguists like Foolen, Dietrich, and Costa have explored how different linguistic elements contribute to both the expression and conceptualization of emotions. For instance, prepositions can play a role in emotional conceptualization, as seen in phrases like “love for something,” which connects the emotion t