It’s pretty common to feel anxious and nervous when learning a foreign language and trying to use it. Even as a fluent French and Spanish speaker, there have been times when Foreign Language Anxiety has crept up on me and reminded me of the early days of language learning.
Foreign Language Anxiety often manifests itself in similar ways to any other anxiety – sweaty palms, increased breathing, blushing – but you can overcome it!
In this article, we’ll discuss language learning anxiety and what you can do if you have a fear of speaking a foreign language. On y va…
What is Foreign Language Anxiety?
Foreign language anxiety (FLA) is a feeling of fear, apprehension, and tension that is linked to learning a foreign language and using it. It can become overwhelming and prevent you from achieving your goals in the language.
Another way of referring to FLA is xenoglossophobia – which can give you anxiety just by trying to pronounce it!
If you have these fears, you’re not alone. Research shows that FLA is a huge problem in language classrooms globally, especially in the context of the fear of speaking a foreign language.
This second language anxiety is a type of specific anxiety reaction and it’s more likely to occur in people who are predisposed to being affected by anxiety.
The main factors of foreign language anxiety
The primary factors of FLA are communication apprehension, fear of negative evaluation, and test anxiety. Foreign language anxiety also has a psychological component.
Communication apprehension
When you have communication apprehension, you find it difficult to express your ideas and thoughts in the language you’re learning. Many people with language learning anxiety feel this is their biggest hurdle. For lots of people, they simply struggle to use the words they’ve learnt when the time comes to use them – and the anxiety that this causes makes the situation worse.
Fear of negative evaluation
Most of us have been here in our native languages in job interviews or work presentations, for example. Foreign language anxiety can manifest itself when a person wishes to make a good impression on other people, but they’re worried the opposite will happen.
Test anxiety
This applies to language learners who are taking exams. Essentially, FLA manifests in a fear of being assessed in the language.
The impact of Foreign Language Anxiety
Language learning anxiety can have a big impact on a person. Here are some potential problems it can cause:
- Feeling disheartened about learning the language
- Losing confidence
- Using avoidance tactics to escape from having to participate in certain activities
- Giving up
Causes of foreign language anxiety
When it comes to the causes of second language anxiety, there are three main reasons why it develops:
- Having erroneous or unrealistic beliefs about learning a foreign language. E.g., a person convinces themselves that they are not good at learning languages or that they haven’t made enough progress.
- Having negative foreign language experiences. E.g., being reprimanded for errors made in class or someone laughing due to the mispronunciation of a word.
- Having standards that are unattainable. E.g., expecting to speak like a native.
How do you know if you’re experiencing foreign language anxiety?
If you’ve read this article so far, you might already realise that you suffer from FLA. If you’re unsure, answering these questions will help you understand if this is a problem you have.
- Despite having a good level of language, do you fear speaking it? This could manifest itself in sweating, a faster heart rate, or trembling hands, for example.
- Even though you can create perfect sentences when thinking, do you struggle to speak them aloud?
- If you think about saying something in the foreign language, do you feel shaky or scared?
- Do you avoid talking to natives because you’re worried you’ll be laughed at or assessed?
- Do you feel panic when you’re unable to express your thoughts in the foreign language or if you don’t understand what someone is saying to you?
- Do you get tongue-tied or nervous whenever you try to say simple things that you know well?
If you found yourself saying ‘yes’ to these questions, you likely suffer from foreign language anxiety. Now, let’s look at how to overcome it.
Overcoming Foreign Language Anxiety
Overcoming foreign language anxiety won’t happen overnight. First of all, know that you’re not alone and allow yourself time to work on the problem. If you have foreign language speaking anxiety, then concentrate on other skills like reading, writing, and listening. Don’t put yourself under too much pressure to speak.
Fear of speaking a foreign language is common and many people feel that they’re expected to start speaking it straight away. For example, you start learning a new language, you come home from class and someone you live with asks you what you learnt. Don’t put pressure on yourself – only you decide when you’re ready to use spoken language.
Secondly, don’t compare yourself to others in this regard. Just because Jack next door says he was fluent in six weeks, don’t expect yourself to be (and don’t necessarily believe it either). Learning a language is not a competitive sport.
Think positive thoughts
The chances are, if you surround yourself with negative thoughts, you’ll continue thinking negative thoughts.
Instead of dwelling on the errors made, for example, consider the fact that you managed to communicate a message successfully.
Understand that making mistakes is okay – and it’s normal to make them
How many times do you hear native speakers making mistakes in their own language? Quite often, I bet. That’s because mistakes happen – even to native speakers. Obviously, as a language learner, you’re going to make more mistakes and the truth is, you can’t be a perfectionist when it comes to learning a language.
If you’re ever going to speak a language fluently, you need to go through all of the stages of language learning – even the broken messy ones.
Also, many people simply appreciate that you’re making the effort to learn and speak their language rather than expecting them to speak English to you.
Vary your way of learning
There is no quick fix when it comes to learning a language. If there’s a method that you simply don’t like, try a different way. Some people prefer topic-based learning, others prefer learning grammar then applying vocabulary to it.
Learning a language should be fun and anxiety can make it not so. Try to have fun when you learn.
Think baby steps
If you’ve only been learning a language a short time, you’ll find native speakers intimidating – even if you don’t suffer from FLA. Just like when you learn any skill, don’t jump straight into the deep end. If you were learning to run, you wouldn’t start with a marathon before you’d even run a mile. The same goes for language learning.
At the start of your journey, try simple one-to-one conversations with someone you’re comfortable talking to. This will help you gain confidence and find the experience less stressful.
You could even try seeking out a pen pal – a good old-fashioned way of communicating! There’s much less pressure when it comes to writing and you can take your time and read it through before you send it.
Talk to people who don’t know you
If you talk with someone you don’t know, there are huge advantages. Here are some reasons why this is a great idea for someone with foreign language anxiety:
- You won’t have to see them again
- They won’t tell anyone about the funny error you might have made
- Their opinion of you doesn’t matter because they will likely forget all about you soon enough
Of course, you might go on to become friends with some of the people you talk to, which is a good thing. But at the start, when you talk to someone you don’t know, it is less intimidating than talking to a classmate, colleague, or family member in the foreign language.
Overcoming Foreign Language Anxiety – a summary
Foreign language anxiety can hinder your learning, but the good news is, you can overcome it. Don’t expect it to be quick or easy, but it will certainly be worth it.
Practise positive thoughts, make some new foreign friends, and understand that you will get more confident the more you learn and practise. Good luck!