The Unconscious Dimensions of Second Language Acquisition: A Psychoanalytic Exploration of Memory, Affect and Linguistic Transformation
Keywords:
Second Language Acquisition; Freudian Psychoanalysis; Memory; Affect; Language Anxiety; Linguistic Transformation; Repetition Compulsion; Postgraduate Learners..Abstract
Second language acquisition has traditionally been examined through cognitive, linguistic and sociocultural perspectives, while psychoanalytically informed psychological and affective processes shaping learners’ engagement with a second language remain comparatively underexplored. This study examines the unconscious dimensions of second language acquisition among postgraduate learners through a Freudian psychoanalytic framework, focusing on the interconnected roles of memory, affect, anxiety and linguistic transformation. Using a descriptive-correlational mixed-method design, the study was conducted among postgraduate students (N=50) at Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu. Quantitative data were collected through a structured Likert-scale questionnaire measuring observable affective and experiential indicators (memory, affect, anxiety and linguistic transformation), which were interpreted through a Freudian psychoanalytic framework rather than considered direct measures of unconscious processes. Qualitative data were obtained through semi-structured interviews and analyzed thematically through a psychoanalytic lens. The findings reveal statistically significant associations among affective experience, anxiety and perceived linguistic transformation. Affective security was positively associated with linguistic transformation, whereas language anxiety was negatively associated with learners’ perceptions of linguistic growth. Qualitative findings further revealed patterns related to early linguistic experiences, symbolic investment in English, emotional attachment to the mother tongue and the repetition of past classroom experiences in present language performance. Interpreted through Freudian concepts of repression, repetition compulsion and the return of the repressed, the study argues that second language acquisition is not merely a process of linguistic competence development but also a psychological negotiation involving memory, emotion and subject formation. The study contributes a psychoanalytic perspective to SLA research by foregrounding the affective, symbolic and subjective dimensions of language learning and suggesting the need for affect-sensitive approaches in multilingual educational contexts
Downloads
References
[1] Benesch, S. (2012). Considering emotions in critical English language teaching. The Journal of Language, Identity & Education, 11(6), 399–412. https://doi.org/10.1080/15348458.2012.723473
[2] Bhabha, H. K. (1994). The location of culture. Routledge.
https://www.routledge.com/The-Location-of-Culture/Bhabha/p/book/9780415336390
[3] Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
[4] Canagarajah, A. S. (1999). Resisting linguistic imperialism in English teaching. Oxford University Press.https://global.oup.com/academic/product/resisting-linguistic-imperialism-in-english-teaching-9780194421540
[5] Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2023). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods approaches (6th ed.). SAGE Publications.
https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/research-design/book270550
[6] Dewaele, J.-M. (2010). Emotions in multiple languages. Palgrave Macmillan.
https://link.springer.com/book/10.1057/9780230289505
[7] Ellis, R. (2008). The study of second language acquisition (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press.
https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-study-of-second-language-acquisition-9780194422574
[8] Freud, S. (1955). Beyond the pleasure principle. In J. Strachey (Ed. & Trans.), The standard edition of the complete psychological works of Sigmund Freud (Vol. 18, pp. 1–64). Hogarth Press. (Original work published 1920).https://www.sas.upenn.edu/~cavitch/pdf-library/Freud_Beyond.pdf
[9] Freud, S. (1957). Repression. In J. Strachey (Ed. & Trans.), The standard edition of the complete psychological works of Sigmund Freud (Vol. 14, pp. 141–158). Hogarth Press. (Original work published 1915).https://www.sas.upenn.edu/~cavitch/pdf-library/Freud_Repression.pdf
[10] Horwitz, E. K., Horwitz, M. B., & Cope, J. (1986). Foreign language classroom anxiety. The Modern Language Journal, 70(2), 125–132.https://doi.org/10.2307/327317
[11] Krashen, S. D. (1982). Principles and practice in second language acquisition. Pergamon Press.https://www.sdkrashen.com/content/books/principles_and_practice.pdf
[12] Kristeva, J. (1980). Desire in language: A semiotic approach to literature and art. Columbia University Press.https://cup.columbia.edu/book/desire-in-language/9780231048071
[13] Lacan, J. (1977). Écrits: A selection (A. Sheridan, Trans.). W. W. Norton.
https://wwnorton.com/books/Ecrits/
[14] MacIntyre, P. D., & Gregersen, T. (2012). Emotions that facilitate language learning: The positive-broadening power of the imagination. Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 2(2), 193–213.https://doi.org/10.14746/ssllt.2012.2.2.4
[15] Norton, B. (2000). Identity and language learning: Gender, ethnicity and educational change. Longman. https://www.routledge.com/Identity-and-Language-Learning/Norton/p/book/9780582368864
[16] Norton, B. (2013). Identity and language learning: Extending the conversation (2nd ed.). Multilingual Matters.
[17] Nunnally, J. C., & Bernstein, I. H. (1994). Psychometric theory (3rd ed.). McGraw-Hill.
[18] Pavlenko, A. (2005). Emotions and multilingualism. Cambridge University Press.
https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511584461
[19] Pennycook, A. (1998). English and the discourses of colonialism. Routledge.
https://www.routledge.com/English-and-the-Discourses-of-Colonialism/Pennycook/p/book/9780415162029
[20] Ramanathan, V. (2005). The English-vernacular divide: Postcolonial language politics and practice. Multilingual Matters. https://www.multilingual-matters.com/page/detail/The-English-Vernacular-Divide/?k=9781853598142
[21] Swain, M. (2005). The output hypothesis: Theory and research. In E. Hinkel (Ed.), Handbook of research in second language teaching and learning (pp. 471–483). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781410612700
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
You are free to:
- Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format
- Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially.
Terms:
- Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
- No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
