THE EFFECT OF PRONUNCIATION ANXIETY ON ENGLISH SPEAKING SKILLS
Keywords:
pronunciation anxiety, speaking skills, fluency, self-confidence, independent learning, classroom environment, speaking anxiety, pronunciationAbstract
This article analyzes the impact of pronunciation anxiety, one of the important psychological factors in learning English, on speaking skills. Many learners, even though they can construct grammatically correct sentences, cannot speak fluently due to the fear of incorrect pronunciation. This condition not only reduces their speaking speed, but also significantly reduces their self-confidence. It examines the causes of pronunciation anxiety, in particular, its connection with fear of social evaluation, perfectionism, and negative experiences. It also compares how this anxiety is formed and manifested in a classroom environment and in the process of independent learning. Research shows that a strictly evaluative classroom environment causes high levels of stress in learners, while independent learning creates a relatively safe psychological environment, but it may lack real communicative experience.
The article concludes with practical strategies for reducing pronunciation anxiety. These include developing a tolerant approach to errors, step-by-step speaking exercises, audio shadowing, and self-assessment techniques. These approaches allow learners to develop not only more accurate pronunciation, but also to form fluent and confident speech.
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