Does foreign language influence the effectiveness of persuasive communication?

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2023-06-09

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en

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While previous research has investigated the use of foreign language in different contexts, the present study aims to investigate the use of language (L1 vs. L2) and type of appeal (fear vs. sadness) in road safety campaigns for German drivers. In an experiment, native speakers of German were either exposed to German fear or sadness posters or to English fear or sadness posters. The effects of language and type of appeal were investigated based on emotional arousal, attitude towards the behaviour, and behavioural intention. Findings showed no FLE, resulting in no differences between the participants’ L1 and L2. The type of appeal did not significantly impact emotionality, attitude towards the behaviour, or behavioural intention. This shows that language and type of appeal do not seem to impact German drivers’ perception of the campaign which suggests that English campaigns are as comprehensible as German campaigns.

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