Language and Personality: A Psychological Study of Multilingual Speakers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.63345/ijrhs.net.v13.i5.6

Nivedita Reddy

Independent Researcher

Telangana, India

Abstract
This study investigates the relationship between language use and personality traits among multilingual individuals. Drawing on the Five-Factor Model of personality and sociolinguistic frameworks, it explores how proficiency, context of acquisition, and frequency of use in multiple languages correlate with openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. Data were collected from a sample of 250 adult multilingual speakers through self-report questionnaires, including the Big Five Inventory and a language background survey. Analyses comprised correlational and regression techniques to identify significant associations between language-related variables and personality dimensions. Findings indicate that higher proficiency in a non-native language is positively associated with openness and extraversion, whereas early simultaneous bilingualism corresponds with lower neuroticism. Contextual factors—such as formal learning versus immersion—moderate these relationships. The study contributes to our understanding of personality expression in multilingual contexts and highlights implications for educational and therapeutic settings.

Keywords
language proficiency, multilingualism, personality traits, Big Five, sociolinguistics

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