Although the negative effect of language anxiety on L2
language acquisition has been widely studied (Gardner &
MacIntyre, 1993; Horwitz, Horwitz, & Cope, 1986; MacIntyre
& Gardner, 1991, 1994), studies in WTC originated in communication research in the United States. Communication apprehension in a first language (L1) and its negative influence on
communication have been largely a matter of scholarly attention by communication researchers