2-2: LANGUAGE embodies learners’ AFFECT
Language is a tool for communication which reflects learners’ state of mind. The audience is listening to the sentences which have a certain meaning but learners’ enthusiasm, attitudes, values, beliefs, personality traits, appropriate self-confidence and motivation gives the important spice in the communication. These components may add a unique emotional colouring in the communication which makes it more appealing and lively for the audience supporting interaction.
Language and affect continually shapes each other. When people put their feelings into words, the act of naming those emotions often reduces their intensity and brings clarity. This process illustrates how language does more than describe emotion—it actively regulates it. At the same time, emotions influence how people speak, guiding their tone, pace, and choice of words. Anxiety can create disfluencies (more “um,” “uh”). Excitement can lead to faster, more animated speech. Sadness may produce slower tempo, monotone intonation, more negative emotion words. Inner speech (“self-talk”), in turn, can calm, motivate, or escalate emotion. These shifts in expression help listeners sense what the speaker is feeling even before the content is fully understood.