On Emotional Barriers to Second Language Learning

[Abstract] Language learning is a very complex process, which is related to many factors, either internal or external. Affective factors plays an important role in a second language learning. If only we realize such affective factors, we can overcome the emotional barriers effectively and have a successful learning.

[Key words] language learning；emotional barriers；motivation；personality

I. Introduction

As we all know, much time and energy in foreign language learning research has been devoted to studying the influence of a number of factors on success in second learning language. The factors are in many aspects, either internal or external. As Dulay (1982) notes: when a student is expected to learn a new language，the first internal hurdles are posed by the individual’s emotional state and motivation. The internal hurdles means emotional barriers here, which may influence directly the effect of second language (L2) learning.

II. Emotional barriers to second language learning

Human beings are emotional creatures. They do not take in everything they hear or see. Their emotional status and other affective factors filter what they learn. The affective factors create the first filter for the language input and have a decisive impact on the learner in the language learning, which include motivation, attitude and personality.

1. Motivation

Motivation, defined as the impetus to create and sustain intentions and goal-seeking acts (Ames & Ames, 1989), is important because it determines the extent of the learner’s active involvement and attitude toward learning.According to Dulay, there are three kinds of motivation that affect language learning: integrative, instrumental and social-group-identification motivation.

Integrative motivation is the desire to know about the other culture and participate in the life of the community that speaks the language. The more that a learner admires the target culture, the more successful the learner will be in the language learning.

Instrumental motivation is the desire to acquire a language as a means for attaining utilitarian goals such as getting a job, furthering a career, reading or translating technical materials in target language. An instrumentally motivated person has limited interest in the people and the culture of the target language community.

Social-group-identification motivation is the desire to acquire proficiency in a language spoken by a social group with which the learner identifies. Learners who have social-group-identified motivation would want to become members of the target language community and intend to assimilate fully into the host society by totally giving up their own identity, culture and language.

2. Attitude

There is a strong relationship between positive attitudes and L2 proficiency and the strength of the correlation between attitudes and proficiency varies with age of the learner and learning contexts. In L2 learning, students will adopt very different views about the teacher and course materials. It is found that a positive attitude to the target language and its speakers correlates with the success in L2 learning.

3. Personality

When compared with attitude and motivation, personality factors have also received great attention in the study of the relationship between affective variables and L2 learning.

（1）Extroversion & Introversion

Extroversion and introversion are potentially important factors in L2 learning. Extrovert learners are labeled as outgoing, adventuresome, talkative, sociable. Introversion refers to the tendency to withdraw from social interaction and be preoccupied with inner thoughts and feelings. Introvert learners are reserved, shy and quiet and careful in learning.

Researchers believe that extroverts are better and more successful language learners. To be sociable and outgoing is not only helpful to language learning. If everything is equal, extroverts are better at speaking than introverts, but not at aural and reading comprehension nor at writing. Introversion might be regarded as advantages to the systematic study of a language.

（2）Anxiety

Anxiety can have both positive and negative sides. Reasonable degree of apprehension or concern over a language learning task to be accomplished, such as alert before getting the job done, is highly necessary and encouraged. However, learners are inhibited by their fear of failure, which often leads to a loss of concentration as their sense of anxiety diverts their attention from the task they have been involved.

（3）Self-esteem

Self-esteem is a personal judgment of worthiness that is expressed in the attitudes that the individual holds towards himself as to be capable, significant, successful and worthy. The self-esteemed people have the advantage of not fearing rejection and are more likely to put themselves in learning situation and do so repeatedly.

（4）Risk-taking

Learners have to be willing to try out hunches about the language and take the risk of being wrong. Research findings, however, show that high risk-taking does not necessarily yield positive results in L2 learning. Persons with a high motivation to achieve are moderate, not high risk-takers. These learners are likely to be in control and like to depend on skill.

III. Conclusion

What have been discussed above are only some emotional barriers that influence the language learning. Actually, such affective factors can be controlled and directed. If only we realize the factors which influence the language learning, and make full use of the good language learning strategies to train the learners’ language competence and learn in persistence, we can learn language well and be successful in language learning.

Bibliography:

[1]H.D.Brown, 2001. “Principle of Language Learning and Language Teaching”.外语教学与研究出版社.

[2]Vivian Cook, 2000.8 “Second Language Learning and Teanching”.外语教学与研究出版社.

[3]Diane Larsen-Freeman and Michael.H.Long, 2000.8 “An Introduction to Second Language Acquisition Research”. 外语教学与研究出版社.