Have you ever suddenly felt anxious, self-conscious or like you’ve lost all confidence when speaking your second language?  Or, in some settings, even your first language?

That horrible feeling in your gut is called linguistic insecurity. And it’s very real.

Linguistic insecurity arises when speakers believe that their language skills aren’t good enough due to a variety of factors. It can negatively impact their confidence and discourage them from even trying to use their second language in the future.

Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages (OCOL) – Annual Report

Linguistic (in)security, we have to talk about it by François Boileau

Thankfully, linguistic (in)security has become a hot topic in recent years. Many organizations have been researching it and finding ways to overcome it… including ours!