Anxiety related to the production of errors in heritage speakers
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Erin Cervelli
CoPIs:
Angelina Spricigo
College:
The College of Health Professions and Human Services
Major:
Speech-Language Pathology
Faculty Research Advisor(s):
Iyad Ghanim
Abstract:
The purpose of our study is to identify factors that contribute to the anxiety related to making errors when speaking a heritage language. There is ample research regarding feelings of anxiety in second language speakers that indicate that low perceptions of proficiency lead to higher anxiety. However, there is limited research on how anxiety impacts language production among heritage language speakers, especially due to the variability in heritage language proficiency. Therefore, in this study, a 92-item survey distributed to 66 college-aged heritage Spanish-English bilinguals residing in New Jersey was analyzed alongside qualitative interviews among 7 participants. Questions probed for their degree of cultural identity, their perceived importance of assimilation to a heritage-speaking society, the motivations of needing to communicate with elders, pressure from family and friends, self-perceived proficiency, and degree of worry over production and perception errors. Results of regression analyses indicated that pressure from family to use the heritage language and the worry of assimilating with other heritage language speakers results in increases to heritage language anxiety. Interestingly, a strong cultural identity and the necessity of speaking to elders did not significantly predict speakers’ anxiety in speaking a HL. The results of this study expand on previous work by demonstrating the effects of family pressure and societal assimilation on specifically the anxiety associated with making errors in heritage speakers. These findings underscore the need to create a supportive environment for bilingual and bicultural populations.