hus they begin to distrust their capability for L2, which draw them feel a weary of L2.
III Language anxiety
3.1 Definition of language anxiety
Language anxiety (LA) can be defined as the fear or apprehension occurring when a learner is expected to perform in the second or foreign language (Gardner & MacIntyre 1993) or the worry and negative emotional reaction when learning or using a second language (L2) (MacIntyre 1999).
The literature on affective variables in L2 acquisition shows that anxiety is one of the key factors in L2 acquisition. Although anxiety plays an important role in L2 learning, research has not produced a consensus concerning that role. The inconsistent findings suggest that anxiety is a complex construct, as is its function in L2 learning.
Horwitz, Horwitz, and Cope (1986) were the first to treat foreign language anxiety as a separate and distinct phenomenon particular to language learning (Young, 1991). At the time, the term foreign language anxiety, or more simply language LA, was just beginning to be used in the literature (MacIntyre, 1999).
LA is only one of several types of anxiety that have been identified by psychologists. In general, there are two approaches to description of LA: (1) LA may be viewed as a manifestation of other more general types of anxiety. For example, test-anxious people may feel anxious when learning a language because they feel constantly tested or shy people may feel uncomfortable of the demands of communicating publicly. (2)LA may be seen as a distinctive form of anxiety expressed in response to language learning. That is, something unique to the language-learning experience makes some individuals nervous.
3.2 Types of language anxiety
Scovel (1978), basing on the characteristics of persons with LA, divided LA into trait anxiety (that is the tendency of individuals in terms of anxiety and psychological characteristics of personality), state anxiety (that is the students produced a moment of anxiety ) and situation specific anxiety (that refers to specific situations, such as a particular moment in public statements, examinations, class participation and other individuals to experience anxiety), in which state-type anxiety is the product combining trait anxiety with situation specific anxiety. In L2 learning, the factor of trait anxiety is less important, while sometimes the role of state anxiety is facilitating, and sometimes the role is debilitating.
According the impact of LA on students, LA is divided into facilitating anxiety and debilitating anxiety considering by Alpert and Harber. Generally speaking, facilitating anxiety is associated with high learning and performance which can encourage pupils to challenge themselves and new tasks, self-regulating the pressure from LA, through simulating pupils to overcome learning difficulties, while debilitating anxiety is a kind of anxiety that harms learning and performance, that is to say, debilitating anxiety leads a great deal of the negative effect to pupils and forms a hinder of absorption from L2 learning. Pupils who have debilitating anxiety may feel worry and self-double, they will reduce their participation and create avoidance of language.
Gardner and Maclntyre stated that the strongest (negative) correlate of language achievement is anxiety (1
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