Nervous Language Learning

(on the affective filter & the role of emotions in language acquisition)

One of my most nerve-wracking language learning experiences was during a Japanese 101 class in undergrad. Our final presentation seemed simple enough: introduce ourselves, introduce some members of our family, talk about our hobbies and interests. Easy, right?

But in the days leading up to my presentation I was a trembling puddle of nervous dread. It wasn’t a public speaking issue — I have no problem with public speaking normally. The issue was the fact that I had to give a presentation in a language that I had pretty minimal competency in. What if I forget the right vocabulary? What if I mix up my grammar? What if my pronunciation is all wrong? What if I just sound generally stupid???

me, for about a week

In the end, I gave my presentation (VERY NERVOUSLY) and everything was fine. (Isn’t it always?) But this experience left a deep impression on me, precisely because of how emotional language learning suddenly became. It wasn’t just acquiring a skill. It was a bare-your-soul experience that felt all too personal, and incredibly vulnerable.

A Barrier to Acquisition

Emotions are such an inseparable part of language learning that they’ve been discussed and theorized in a few ways: most notably, Stephen Krashen’s concept of the affective filter hypothesis. The affective filter is one of five hypotheses that make up the Monitor Model, Krashen’s model of language learning and production.

And the affective filter has a pretty prominent role. Because as learners take in comprehensible input (that is, input which is just a little more difficult than what they already know, but not so hard that they can’t decode it), Krashen proposes that one thing can stop this input from being acquired: the affective filter.

What is the affective filter made of? Think of it as a wall (and it looks like one, second to the left on the model!). If it’s raised, due to conditions like negative emotions, high anxiety, or low self-esteem, this has the potential to block the learner from processing the input. When learners’ negative emotions get too strong, this is a strong barrier for them to learn the language.

Of course, this hypothesis isn’t 100% perfect. It does raise a few questions (namely: where exactly does that input go when learners’ effective filters are high? Does it just get bounced back? How “high” is too high for input to be processed? Can we measure this?), but it draws attention to a very real component of language learning. Your emotional state matters!

An Unexpected Advantage

One slightly silly example of the role of emotion in language learning is related to a headline I remember seeing a few years ago: “It’s True: Alcohol Helps You Speak a Foreign Language Better.” And I absolutely think this has merit.

While some might feel that alcohol would inhibit you from producing language well (and too much of it most certainly would), one benefit of drinking while speaking a language is related to that pesky affective filter.

(I should note that we’re stretching the meaning a bit here — Krashen’s hypothesis was more about how input is processed. But we’ll take it to refer to emotions and language learning in general.)

Because while many would typically feel nervous to speak a foreign language in a social setting, alcohol can potentially help lower those barriers. Instead of those usual nagging worries about pronunciation, perfect grammar, or just looking dumb in general, you can let loose and just let the language flow.

It’s a similar effect to people who need a few drinks to really get going at karaoke. (I’m not one of those people. I am a ball of scream-singing energy at karaoke right from the get-go, and I studied abroad in Taipei, so I’ve clocked in a LOT of karaoke hours. Er, excuse me, KTV hours.)

(screaming) 原來你是我最想留住 !!! 的幸運 !!!

This is actually a really big benefit, since producing output is a very crucial component to language learning — unless, that is, your goal is solely to listen to others talking and not to respond. And actually, producing output in such an uninhibited state is something that we language teachers really strive to incorporate in the classroom (without the assistance of alcohol, of course).

Emotions & Learning Endangered Languages

It wouldn’t be an Everybody Talks newsletter without some talk of language revitalization!

For many learners and speakers of endangered languages, language learning and use is a deeply emotional process. Unlike others who may choose to pick up a language for personal enrichment or economic/career-related advantages, learners of endangered languages often have pretty different motivations.

This can include an deeper sense of identity and heritage, the desire to resist assimilation/acculturation, a stronger connection to community values and traditions, etc. And these are very emotional motivations! Learning your ancestral language to revitalize it in your community certainly feels much more time-sensitive and burdensome than someone just picking up a language for fun on Duolingo.

Hermes and King (2019) write about how language learning in a revitalization context is exacerbated by ideologies of endangerment. These ideologies can make language learning much more high-stakes and anxiety-inducing, “[exacerbating] fears of making mistakes with what is viewed as a fragile and sacred language.”

For this reason, some newer methods that are being adopted for the learning of endangered languages are specifically designed to keep learners’ affect in mind. Hermes and King use task-based language learning (a technique that is extremely popular today — more on this in the future!) to support intermediate language learners of Ojibwe.

Methods such as task-based language learning can give learners a little more emotional breathing room, compared to more high-stakes contexts like immersion. By creating a relaxed environment in a small group setting, learners can focus on working together to solve a communicative task at hand — not stressing out about getting everything exactly right the first time around.

The concept of the affective filter has also been built into other language revitalization-specific strategies such as Where Are Your Keys. This method, which was created by Evan Gardner, adds gesture to language learning as a visual and physical support.

One of the gestures that they incorporate in the method is directly related to the affective filter. When a participant signals that they are “full,” this tells the other group members that their affective filter is getting high — they are getting stressed or anxious. This allows the learner to quickly and seamlessly take a step back.

On top of that, being acknowledged and supported by the rest of the group helps lower their (already high) affective filter in the process. I think this is a wonderful method that certainly could be applied in other language learning contexts!

Face Your Emotions

So if you’ve ever felt ridiculous about how nervous you feel when trying to speak a foreign language, you are most certainly not alone. Emotions are a very real barrier to language learning and use — but don’t let it stop you! There are certainly things you can do to lower that wall, whether it’s a change of environment, an honest acknowledgement that you’re nervous, or maybe even a drink.

For my fellow nervous language learners, what strategies do you employ when you’re feeling nervous to speak or have anxiety about language learning? Do you think the affective filter hypothesis is valid? Let me know in the comments below.

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Life Update !!!

You may have noticed (or more realistically, haven’t noticed at all — NO WORRIES) that I posted on a biweekly basis for the month of April. This is due to the fact that I’m juggling a large number of major life events in a matter of mere weeks (including: graduating with my MA, getting married, moving… and I was recently hit with a virus that put me in bed for about four days. In conclusion: a lot is happening right now).

Once all these events pass, I will most definitely be back to posting in a consistent, weekly manner. And on the plus side, I’ll have more time to dedicate to research & writing for this newsletter. Yay! Big things are yet to come — thanks for your grace and patience.

Thanks for reading as always, and I’ll see you next Tuesday.