ABSTRACT
The discussion reveals that learners in post-colonial South Asia experience anxiety related to speaking English both inside and outside the language classroom. While some are afraid, shy or uncertain to speak English in front of their teachers and peers, some others also feel the same emotions in front of outsiders and strangers. Four post-colonial South Asian countries, namely India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, were selected for the study. The universities in which data was collected for this study were selected to represent the main geographical locations in each of the four countries to obtain a general picture of the English language teaching scenario. Our findings demonstrate the unmistakable influence of the attitudes found in the larger society outside the English language domain, in addition to the influence of the attitudes found in the ‘inner society’ that is the English language classroom.
