Processing of second language emotion-laden words during sentence reading: Evidence from eye movements

Research on emotional word processing has consistently reported an emotionality advantage for emotional over neutral words, particularly among first language (L1) speakers. However, evidence from bilingual populations remains limited and inconclusive, especially for emotion-laden words examined during natural reading. Extending previous eye-tracking research, the present study investigated the processing of positive and negative emotion-laden words during sentence reading among late Arabic-English bilinguals. Two eye-tracking experiments were conducted with Saudi EFL (English as a Foreign Language) learners who read sentences containing positive emotion-laden and neutral words (Experiment 1) or negative emotion-laden and neutral words (Experiment 2). Thirteen eye-movement measures representing early, late, and post-target processing stages were analyzed using mixed-effects models. In addition to emotionality, the analyses examined the effects of vocabulary knowledge, age, word frequency, and word length. Contrary to findings reported for L1 speakers, neither positive nor negative emotion-laden words demonstrated a robust processing advantage over neutral words once lexical and participant-related variables were controlled for. Vocabulary knowledge and age showed limited influence on emotional word processing, whereas word frequency emerged as the most consistent predictor of reading behavior. The findings support accounts emphasizing the role of language experience and learning context in shaping emotional representations and suggest that emotional facilitation may be attenuated during second-language (L2) reading, particularly for emotion-laden words.