Bilingual emotional expression: a qualitative analysis of Turkish–English affective differentiation in gifted students

Abstract

This qualitative case study investigates how gifted students construct and regulate their emotional experiences through two languages, focusing on the ways in which emotional intensity shapes bilingual emotional expression. The study aims to explore how students in a Science and Art Center (BİLSEM) articulate socio-emotional themes in their first language (L1-Turkish) and their foreign language (L2-English), and whether L2 functions as an “emotional refuge.” In this context, the study also examines the extent to which Dewaele’s “Emotional Detachment Hypothesis” applies to gifted learners and discusses whether the use of L2 contributes to emotional balance.The participants consisted of eight gifted students aged 10 to 12, selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected through emotion-themed written texts produced in both languages, semi-structured individual interviews, and systematic observation notes. The dataset was analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis framework. Findings reveal a clear functional differentiation between the two languages in emotional expression. Turkish emerges as an internally anchored, emotionally intense, and spontaneous mode of articulation, whereas English provides a more distanced, softened, and cognitively regulated channel. Participants reported that using English allowed them to avoid social judgment, maintain emotional privacy, and express difficult experiences through a more controlled and rational linguistic frame. One student captured this contrast through the metaphor “Turkish is a storm; English is a map,” illustrating how L1 amplifies emotional resonance while L2 restructures it within a calmer and more organized cognitive space. Overall, the study demonstrates that for gifted students, a foreign language is not merely an academic skill but also a strategic “emotional balancing tool”—a means of managing Dabrowskian emotional overexcitability and achieving the kind of self-regulation described by Vygotsky. These findings suggest that language education in BİLSEMs should be enriched with psycholinguistic-pedagogical approaches that actively support students’ emotional well-being.