Emotional vocabulary and adolescent emotional functioning: contributions beyond general verbal ability

Emotional vocabulary (EV) constitutes an operational approximation to emotion concept knowledge, whose role in shaping emotional experience is emphasised within constructionist approaches to emotion. Despite its theoretical relevance, empirical evidence in adolescence remains limited, particularly regarding whether EV uniquely predicts emotional functioning beyond general verbal ability. This study examined the specificity of EV in relation to perceived emotional intelligence (EI) and teacher-rated socioemotional competence in a sample of 529 typically developing adolescents aged 12-18. Participants completed measures of EV, general vocabulary, and perceived EI, while teachers rated students' emotional and social adjustment. Linear regression models showed that EV - but not general vocabulary - significantly predicted total perceived EI. EV was also significantly associated with teacher-rated competence. Correlational analyses revealed small but significant associations between EV and selected dimensions of emotional functioning, specifically Mood Repair and teacher-rated socioemotional competence. Overall, findings suggest that EV serves as a specific linguistic-cognitive resource contributing to emotional functioning in adolescence, consistent with constructionist accounts emphasising the role of conceptual knowledge in emotional development.