English language and linguistics research seminar: Oleksandra Osypenko, Lund University: The influence of English as a third language on multilingual cognition

Grammatical gender has been shown to shape conceptual representations, with speakers systematically attributing masculine or feminine properties to inanimate objects based on linguistic form (Osypenko et al., 2025; Samuel et al., 2019). Evidence further suggests that acquiring a genderless language can attenuate these effects (Osypenko & Athanasopoulos, 2026). However, it remains unclear whether this restructuring extends beyond conceptual tasks to more socially relevant judgments, such as risk perception and moral judgements.

In the first part of the talk, I present findings from my recent work on cognitive restructuring in multilinguals. Using categorisation and memory recall paradigms, we show that multilingual speakers of Ukrainian and Russian exhibit reduced reliance on grammatical gender as their dominance in English increases (e.g., through greater language use and proficiency), a language without a masculine-feminine distinction in common nouns. Crucially, beyond establishing this attenuation effect, we systematically examine which aspects of language experience drive restructuring by looking at separate components of English dominance (e.g., language use, proficiency, history, and attitudes). This allows us to identify the specific experiential factors that most strongly predict the weakening of grammatical gender effects, supporting a dynamic view of multilingual cognition.

In the second part, I build on these findings by integrating them with research on risk perception and decision-making. Previous research on risk assessment shows that judgments of risk are not purely analytical but are strongly influenced by affective responses triggered by language, in line with the “risk as feelings” framework. Crucially, verbal descriptions activate mental images and associated affect, which guide evaluations of risk and benefit (see "emotional heuristics" in Hadjichristidis et al., 2015).

Building on this work, my postdoctoral project proposes that grammatical gender may influence decision-making by shaping the conceptual and affective properties of stimuli (e.g., perceived threat or severity of risk). We examine whether grammatical gender affects risk perception and moral judgment using behavioural and neural measures (EEG), and whether multilingual experience, specifically having knowledge of a gender-neutral language such as Swedish, attenuates these biases.

References:

Hadjichristidis, C., Geipel, J., & Savadori, L. (2015). The effect of foreign language in judgments of risk and benefit: The role of affect. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, 21(2), 117–129. https://doi.org/10.1037/xap0000044

Osypenko, O., & Athanasopoulos, P. (2026). Asymmetric cognitive restructuring of grammatical gender effects: How genderless English dilutes effects of gendered L1s in categorisation and memory. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 0(0), 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2026.2621116

Osypenko, O., Brandt, S., & Athanasopoulos, P. (2025). The influence of three-gendered grammatical systems on simultaneous bilingual cognition: The case of Ukrainian-Russian bilinguals. Language and Cognition, 17, e25. https://doi.org/10.1017/langcog.2024.73

Samuel, S., Cole, G., & Eacott, M. J. (2019). Grammatical gender and linguistic relativity: A systematic review. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 26(6), 1767–1786. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13423-019-01652-3