“French is not my Language”: Reactions by Foreign Language Learners in Africa

Abstract

Learning a new language is not often as easy as one may think, especially, where there are no work compulsions or anything of serious importance that motivates one or make it a necessity. In Africa, and specifically in Anglophone countries, and among English speakers, learning French is trailed by a reaction one may describe, as “French is not my Language”. What this reaction embodies is a psychological and social manifestation of lack of motivation, confidence, and satisfaction in learning. Thus, the objectives of the research are; to identify the role of the Immediate Study Environment (ISE) in motivating, building confidence and ensuring satisfaction in the learners of the foreign languages and to determine the extent to which the ISE affects the student’s decision to continue or not to continue with the language. The result shows that the Immediate Study Environment (ISE) plays a major role in motivating or de-motivating learners, it further shows that the ISE impacts greatly on learners’ decision to or not to continue with the target language.

Keywords: French language, Immediate Study Environment (ISE) , Target language Anglophone, Foreign language, Motivation