Why linguists should look more at well-being

"While quite a large body of work has investigated the associations between language and cognition, a much smaller number of studies has looked at the ways in which language could be linked to well-being. Like many of you all, I am trying to change this, as I think language and well-being is a topic most definitely worth studying. In this presentation, I will talk about my own research looking into the association between language and well-being by describing three studies I have been involved with.

"Firstly, we will look at language and well-being ‘in the wild’ by looking at regional language users in the Netherlands. Regional languages are typically spoken by a minority of speakers for whom the language is quite a strong part of their sense of (shared) identity. As such, speaking a regional language could also be a factor influencing one’s embeddedness in the community, one’s social contacts, and by extension potentially their well-being. In this study we compared frequent speakers of two regional languages (Frisian and Low-Saxon) to those who did not frequently speak these languages using a sample of nearly 35.000 participants.

"Secondly I will tell you a bit about my research with older adults who have a history of depression. Language learning in people aged 65 and older has been studied this past decade as a potential ‘brain training’ tool. However, learning a language is not just a kind of cognitive exercise, but it is also an inherently social activity, and as such it may affect learners’ well-being, too. Furthermore, learning a language can be a profoundly meaningful activity, as the realization that learning is also possible in older age can be very empowering. These potential socio-affective benefits could be especially relevant for those with (a history of) depression, as this group of older adults often experiences higher degrees of loneliness and lower degrees of well-being. In this section I will talk about the research findings, but also about how I think we could further implement well-being in future linguistics research by defining the concept more holistically.

"Lastly, I will talk about an ongoing project where we will investigate the (complex) relationships between psychological trauma and language learning in Ukrainian newcomers in the Netherlands. A large proportion of people who have had to seek refuge in other countries experience post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). People experiencing PTSD often also experience reduced well-being, difficulty concentrating, and they may make find it quite difficult to make new social contacts. All of these factors may (indirectly) hamper one’s ability to learn a new language. In this last section of the talk, I will discuss the background and design of this project."

This is an online webinar that will be streaming via Zoom: attendees can view online, or watch collectively at 52 Prichatts Road, Room 412 (G9 on the campus map).

This talk is part of the ongoing Language and Cognition at Birmingham (LACAB) Psycholinguistics Seminar Series. Discover more information about LACAB and its upcoming events here.