ABSTRACT
This chapter investigates how the social attitude towards a language and its speakers influences English language learners in post-colonial South Asia with a special focus on the learners’ most sought-after language skill, speaking. It discusses the type of anxiety that is caused by the attitudes present in society towards the English language and its speakers, labelled Language Attitude Anxiety (LAA). The chapter also discusses the role of LAA as a conduit between the societal attitudes towards the English language and its speakers and the lack of confidence in the learners to speak English. LAA includes some aspects of Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety and expands them to encompass the anxiety created by societal attitudes towards a language and its speakers. LAA is a specific kind of anxiety that inhibits a person from speaking in a language due to shyness and fear of being negatively evaluated in society or due to a dislike or hatred of the target language.
