Writing Task: Foreign Language Anxiety

Xenoglossophobia: The anxiety of learning a new language

Writing task:

Foreign language anxiety (or xenoglossophobia) is the feeling of nervousness and apprehension when learning or using a second or foreign language. Students may feel uneasy or anxious when they use their productive skills such as speaking and writing. Besides, the receptive skills such as reading and listening may also cause them to become nervous. This anxiety prevents students from participating in classroom discussions, building up self-esteem and confidence.

Write an essay in which you discuss the causes and the effects of foreign language anxiety on students. What are the distinct types of foreign language anxiety? What leads students to become anxious when they should use a different language? How are students and the classroom atmosphere affected by this phenomenon?

Alternatively, you might write a problem and solution essay about foreign language anxiety. What is your proposal to solve this problem? How could educators prevent students from becoming anxious?

Videos:

Second Language Anxiety Film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaL117XpsnI

Taghreed Al-Saraj – The Anxious Language Learner: A Saudi Woman’s Story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WSXXr1u8vk

Why You (Still) Can’t Speak English: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCVPOsj9EzA

Powerpoints:

Foreign Language Anxiety: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDdD7-6bkRY

The Language Cage: How Language anxiety traps student performance

https://prezi.com/clmddpkf39mf/the-language-cage-how-language-anxiety-traps-student-perfor/

The role of anxiety in Second Language Acquisition from Theory

https://prezi.com/rsuttvvifesq/the-role-of-anxiety-in-second-language-acquisition-from-theo/

Articles:

Overcoming Language Anxiety: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2007/06/29/language