Speaking Anxiety and Learner’s Own Variety of English

In this increasingly globalized world, English is the most widely used international contact language as it has spread to different parts of the world. Due to its wide use by speakers of many different languages, English has been influenced by many different factors including diverse ways of pronun...

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Main Authors: Shafinaz Sikder, Mohammad Mahmudul Haque
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: ULAB Press 2016-12-01
Series:Crossings
Online Access:https://journals.ulab.edu.bd/index.php/crossings/article/view/175
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author Shafinaz Sikder
Mohammad Mahmudul Haque
author_facet Shafinaz Sikder
Mohammad Mahmudul Haque
author_sort Shafinaz Sikder
collection DOAJ
description In this increasingly globalized world, English is the most widely used international contact language as it has spread to different parts of the world. Due to its wide use by speakers of many different languages, English has been influenced by many different factors including diverse ways of pronunciation. Therefore, it is not surprising that such pronunciation varieties have obvious classroom implications, especially among the nonnative teaching-learning communities. In most contexts, the nonnative teacher-learners are under pressure to conform to any of the native varieties, which, this paper argues, isresponsible for creating language anxiety among the learners. Reviewing selected works by Crystal, Bolton, Canagarajah, Farooqui, Jenkins, and Sharifian’s that address the way “power,”“hegemony,” and “politics” operate behind the promotion of such native varieties, the present paper probes into the relationship between speaking anxiety and the enforced native varieties on the nonnative ones of English. It concludes that there is little rationale behind such enforcement as English is increasingly becoming a contact language, which enables the nonnative speakers of English to equally own the language as their native counterparts. It also suggests that promotion of the nonnative varieties in language classes will encourage the learners to use the language from their own comfort zone, and will eventually decrease their speaking anxiety.
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spelling doaj.art-2060921935aa484e889efd72441769632023-10-16T04:22:01ZengULAB PressCrossings2071-11072958-31792016-12-01710.59817/cjes.v7i.175Speaking Anxiety and Learner’s Own Variety of EnglishShafinaz Sikder0Mohammad Mahmudul Haque1Course Instructor, United International UniversitySenior Lecturer of English and Humanities, BRAC University In this increasingly globalized world, English is the most widely used international contact language as it has spread to different parts of the world. Due to its wide use by speakers of many different languages, English has been influenced by many different factors including diverse ways of pronunciation. Therefore, it is not surprising that such pronunciation varieties have obvious classroom implications, especially among the nonnative teaching-learning communities. In most contexts, the nonnative teacher-learners are under pressure to conform to any of the native varieties, which, this paper argues, isresponsible for creating language anxiety among the learners. Reviewing selected works by Crystal, Bolton, Canagarajah, Farooqui, Jenkins, and Sharifian’s that address the way “power,”“hegemony,” and “politics” operate behind the promotion of such native varieties, the present paper probes into the relationship between speaking anxiety and the enforced native varieties on the nonnative ones of English. It concludes that there is little rationale behind such enforcement as English is increasingly becoming a contact language, which enables the nonnative speakers of English to equally own the language as their native counterparts. It also suggests that promotion of the nonnative varieties in language classes will encourage the learners to use the language from their own comfort zone, and will eventually decrease their speaking anxiety. https://journals.ulab.edu.bd/index.php/crossings/article/view/175
spellingShingle Shafinaz Sikder
Mohammad Mahmudul Haque
Speaking Anxiety and Learner’s Own Variety of English
Crossings
title Speaking Anxiety and Learner’s Own Variety of English
title_full Speaking Anxiety and Learner’s Own Variety of English
title_fullStr Speaking Anxiety and Learner’s Own Variety of English
title_full_unstemmed Speaking Anxiety and Learner’s Own Variety of English
title_short Speaking Anxiety and Learner’s Own Variety of English
title_sort speaking anxiety and learner s own variety of english
url https://journals.ulab.edu.bd/index.php/crossings/article/view/175
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