It is not an easy debate to discuss that learning a foreign language is quite an easy job as with good pronunciation, proper understanding of grammatical rules, and sufficient vocabulary it correspondingly requires proper linguistic knowledge and its cultural characteristics. Brown (2000) is of the opinion that to learn a language, one should have a comprehensive knowledge of the behaviour of the person and have defined objectives to reach the possible methods. Several research studies concluded that some learners learn a language rapidly because of strong determination and consistency in their behaviour while others do not learn the target language because of some internal and external barriers. Ellis (2000) argued that learning a second language is a complex process as it involves emotional experience. He further argued that target language can be successfully acquired by overcoming external barriers and setting internal barriers out from the minds of L2 speakers. It also requires a learner to move beyond the native language. It means he should think beyond his inborn language. According to Ellis (2000) learning a second or foreign language requires special aptitude, attitude, intelligence, and cognitive ability. To get a second language or foreign language, one must keep in mind internal and external factors. Therefore, second language learners must apply all these instruments in order to learn a second language or target language. Teachers or L2 trainers have to keep in mind the knowledge of the language system and its functions to enable or train the target learners to get the language proficiently. It is accepted from the research studies that a child learns or acquires a language in his or early childhood more efficiently as he/she has substantially more chances to use language over more than a few years (Lightbrown and Spada, 2006) This is vice versa whose achievement is conditional on many factors. Thus it has been observed that some learners show very well performance in learning a second language in an EFL classroom while some learners do not perform well in the learning process in spite of the same environment provided by the trainers or teachers of L2. There are some vital factors relating to the success and failure of students. Some factors are general in nature affecting second language learning like age, interest, intellect, perceptive style, behaviour, enthusiasm, and persona (Ellis, 1994). It is difficult to consider all variables in learning a second language at a time. Therefore, the factors can be classified into two major categories. The very first category consists of internal factors and the other category is viewed as external factors. Internal factors include fear and anxiety, hesitation, and shyness. On the other hand, external factors contain pronunciation, vocabulary, curriculum, grammar rules, classroom environment and the role of the English language teacher in the L2 classroom. Internal factors are to deal with cognitive and metacognitive qualities of learners such as intelligentsia, perception etc. While external factors are related to socially influencing factors like social background, the first language of the speaker and the curriculum of the second language.

Speaking is a creative skill. It involves all the acquired knowledge of a language to be applied while communicating (Fraser, H. (2006). This thing shows that one cannot be able to speak until one cannot have proper knowledge about the target language. This activity can only become practicable and possible when there would be complete two-way communication between the listeners and speakers. Bygate (1987) treated English as a means of societal unity, social position and innovation. Now the English language has become Lingua Franca used all over the world. This is because of language imperialism. That is why it is a very important thing to develop oral competency among the learners of a target language. Therefore, Al-Roud (2016) endorsed oral competency by saying that oral competence entails sub-skills such as lexis and the patterns of grammar and cultural consciousness for the development of oral competency. Escudero, Fuertes, & López (2019) suggested that input provided by the virtue of listening and reading influence significantly use of language and affect the students' communicative skill. The more input in reading and listening, the more competency in oral communication. There are five important components of language involved in communication. These are (1) linguistic knowledge (2) topical knowledge (3) the speaker's capability to produce language (4) strategic competence and (5) affective factors.

There are many internal and external problems facing L2 learners while performing communicative competence. These problems hinder the learners to perform oral communication effectively and fluently. External problems are related to course design and curriculum design, extracurricular activities, and environment. While on the other hand internal problems are related to the learner's personality and cognitive capability. Swain (1993) has reasonably said that those who do not perform well in speaking are not pressed sufficiently to yield language. In fact, one has to jump into the river of knowledge of the target language in order to become a proficient learner.

Speaking involves certain skills to master. These can be classified into micro-skills and macros kills respectively. Micro skills firstly produce variation in allophones and morphemes.

Secondly, it produces chunks of the language of different lengths. Thirdly it produces words in stressed, unstressed, rhythmic and intonation manner respectively. Fourthly, it produces reduced forms of words. Fifthly, sufficient usage of lexical items. Sixthly, Fluency of speech at different rates. Seventhly, monitoring oral production by using planned devices to increase the lucidity of the message. Eighthly, linguistic word forms such as nouns, pronouns etc. Ninthly speech in natural components such as phrases, clauses, pauses and breaks etc. Similarly, Macro skills involve the appropriate function of language according to situations. It uses a special functions like styles, registers, redundancies etc. It also conveys the facial feature of language. It also deals with a special function of language such as rephrasing, interpreting the contextual meaning of a sentence and evaluating how good your speaker comprehends you (Beckman-Brito, 2003). There are some past studies found problems in developing speaking skills (Balghazedah and Nosrollah Shahri, 2014), (Ahsan, Nasir, & Younus, 2021), (Liu, & Cheng, 2014), (Saed Al Sobhi & Preece, 2018). However, they have other types of people and other situations. Subsequently, as an allusion to this investigation, it has been equated with the study, "Factors Negatively Affect Speaking Skills at Saudi Colleges for Girls in the South" (Cheng, 2004). And ‘Causes of EFL speaking weakness in Saudi secondary schools in Al-Gunfuthah City,’ (Ali Al-ma’shy, 2011). The only difference between this study and the studies is demographic differences, the level of study and the setting in which they live. The former deals with undergraduate students and the latter deals with school students. While the respondents of this study are university students pursuing their graduation in one public sector university i.e. Ghazi University, affiliated public and private sector colleges to the said university and sub-campuses of Bahaudin Zakariya University Multan and Govt. College University Faisal Abad is situated in Dera Ghazi Khan Division.

Internal and External Target Language Barriers to Effective Communication

The sole purpose of the current study was to explore the internal and external variables that create barriers for L2 learners to communicate effectively in the English language. Internal barriers suggest cognitive and affective variables such as fear, anxiety, hesitation, shyness etc. External variables imply such variables as pronunciation, vocabulary, curriculum, grammar rules, classroom environment, and teachers' roles etc. Normally speaking, external factors can be characterized into the two major clusters of environmental and curricular, but the list of external factors discussed here, like the list of internal factors, is not exhaustive, as in many other related pieces of research.

Internal Barriers

Internal barriers or cognitive difficulties suggest affective variables such as fear, anxiety etc.

Linguistic Fear and Anxiety

Linguistic fear and anxiety are concerned with the inferred events that are clear notions of nervousness (Halliday, Tuomainen, & Rosen, 2017). He further argues that L2 learners feel this dilemma when they face verbal drills, and competitions and they know they are not ready enough to take these. To highlight this notion there is tri faced factors of being anxious when talking: (a) skill shortage, (b) the reasoning self-evaluation and (c) the consequences of evaluations. These three causes, respectively, are adjacent to the dearth of information and exercise in some linguistic capabilities. The second one concern the weak assessment of themselves, they only ponder, they dare not to do it and ultimately, they will have flopped. Consequently, L2 learners do not desire to rerun the adventure resulting in nervousness for themselves and the whole group.

Fear and Anxiety

Anxiety is the type of internal/affective factor that obstructs L2 learning the most persistently and insistently (Arnold & Brown, 1999). Fear of making a mistake while communicating in L2 totally degrades students' ability to communicate interactively (Liu & Cheng, 2014). According to Shumin (2002), as students' nervousness levels increases, they become tongue-tied or unable to communicate, which has a major effect on their ability to excel in foreign language classes. To support this theory, Middleton (2019) believes that students are afraid of the reflection that their contact necessitates. They are often afraid of being chastised, disapproved of, or losing face in front of their classmates and teachers, and as a result, they either make several errors while having adequate knowledge of the subject or lesson, or they remain completely silent. L2 learners should be encouraged and inspired to interact bravely to enhance their interactive communication, as encouragement is the most important element that teachers can use to boost their students' learning ability (Arnold, 1999). DuBrin (2008), in the foregoing context, argues that motivation is one of the factors that influence success or failure in learning a language, especially a foreign language. similarly, asserted that if students fail to attain competence, their academic competence would be inactive and slow, and they will learn almost nothing. Making mistakes while learning a language is a natural part of the process, but it poses a significant challenge to the students' ego. These strains in studying L2 make it difficult for students to communicate in the target language. Similarly, a lack of trust prevents learners from acquiring speaking skills, and as a result, they lose motivation and abandon their efforts to get the proper achieve communicative ability in the foreign language. The above-mentioned variables are marked as the primary cause of hampering speaking ability, and the current study's main goal is to look at and explore only two of them such as hesitation and shyness as internal difficulties to learners' speaking ability.

Research Design

The objective of the study is to explore the role of internal and external target language barriers in effective communication at the graduation level. To fulfil the preceding aim structured L2 learners' questionnaire was used as the key research instrument. The authenticity of the research methodology is vindicated by Strydom and Venter (2002) as these two are of the view that research methodology had better contain an account of research respondents, research sites, the plan regarding sampling technique used for the study, and research instruments deployed for collecting research data. This study was conducted while utilizing the mixed-method approach. For the proper execution of this work, the researcher collected data through a questionnaire for the study face to face along with online due to COVID-19 restrictions so that a huge junk of data can be gathered. With a view to fixing the topics' findings regarding the role of internal and external target language barriers to effective communication, the researcher constructed an L2 learners' questionnaire and this questionnaire was rationalized from the studies accomplished by Belegdair, A. (2015), Al Hosni, Samira (2014), Bourez zane, Nadia (2014), Al Othman, Fadel & Shuqair, Khaled (2013), Nombre, Segura Alonso & de Junio (2012), Al-ma’shy (2011), Ahsan, Ali, & Hussain (2021), Ahsan, Ashger, & Zafar (2020), Ahsan, Seemab, & Nawaz (2021), Ahsan, Asif, & Hussain (2021), Ahsan, Younus, & Husain (2020), Ahsan, Asif, Kaukab, Zafar, & Naeem (2020), Ahsan, Asgher, & Hussain (2020), Younus, Nawaz, & Ahsan, (2021), and Ahsan, Nawaz, & Seemab (2021) as models for this research with trivial modification on the basis of scholar’s own five years of teaching/learning experience at public sector college and university level. The questionnaire used in this research has two fragments i.e. research question 1-5 is comprised of demographic information and the remaining 74 statements are based on the format of a five-point Likert scale.

Objectives of the Study

i. To scrutinize the foundations of fear and anxiety as internal communicative barriers among ESL students at the graduation level.

ii. To find out the impacts of fear and anxiety as internal communicative barriers among ESL students.

Research Questions

i. What are the foundations of fear and anxiety as internal communicative barriers among ESL students at the graduation level?

ii. What are the impacts of fear and anxiety as internal communicative barriers among ESL students?

Sampling and Research Tool of the Study

Research data was collected by administering L2 learners' questionnaires. The research sample included in this work was limited to the 17-22 years learners' age group. Above one thousand L2 learners' close-ended questionnaires were circulated among the participants. The participants for the present study were from the BS English program continued in Public Sector University i.e. Ghazi University, affiliated public and private sector colleges to the said university and sub-campuses of Bahaudin Zakariya University Multan and Govt. College University Faisal Abad is situated in Dera Ghazi Khan Division. Close-ended, well-structured research questionnaire comprised of a 5-Point Likert scale was projected to accumulate researchable data. The researcher reviewed a huge bulk of relevant research to find out a suitable research tool that might be easily managed and administered to the respondents of the current study. The researcher constructed an L2 learners' questionnaire and this questionnaire was rationalized from the studies accomplished by Belegdair, A. (2015), Al Hosni, Samira (2014), Bourez Zane, Nadia (2014), Al Othman, Fadel & Shuqair, Khaled (2013), Nombre, Segura Alonso & de Junio (2012), Al-ma’shy (2011), Ahsan, Ali, & Hussain (2021), Ahsan, Asher, & Zafar (2020), Ahsan, Seemab, & Nawaz (2021), Ahsan, Asif, & Hussain (2021), Ahsan, Younus, & Husain (2020), Ahsan, Asif, Kaukab, Zafar, & Naeem (2020), Ahsan, Asgher, & Hussain (2020), Younus, Nawaz, & Ahsan, (2021), and Ahsan, Nawaz, & Seemab (2021) as models for this research with trivial modification on the basis of scholar’s own five years of teaching/learning experience at public sector college and university level. The questionnaire used in this research has two fragments i.e. research question 1-5 is comprised of demographic information and the remaining 74 statements are based on the format of a five-point Likert scale.

i. Completely Agree

ii. Agree

iii. Neutral

iv. Completely Disagree

v. Disagree

Context of this Research Work

The pure focus of this research is adult L2 learners enrolled in BS English programs continued in public sector universities i.e. Ghazi University, affiliated public and private sector colleges to the said university and sub-campuses of Bahaudin Zakariya University Multan and Govt. College University Faisal Abad is situated in Dera Ghazi Khan Division. These are those L2 learners who want to achieve better L2 skills so that they can do excellent in their L2 classrooms, jobs or in academics. In this study, adult L2 learners are those students who have completed their intermediate studies and they are of above 17 years of age.

Since this research work will attempt to disclose the role of internal and external target language barriers to effective communication at public sector universities i.e. Ghazi University, affiliated public and private sector colleges to the said university and sub-campuses of Bahaudin Zakariya University Multan and Govt. College University Faisal Abad situated in Dera Ghazi Khan Division, it’s worth is restricted to the following considerations:

1. This research work is significant as it fixes whether L2 learners are willing to accept the role of internal and external target language barriers to effective communication in L2 classrooms.

2. Statistics from this work regarding L2 learners’ attitudes towards the role of internal and external target language barriers to effective communication encourage and persuade students in an L2 setting.

3. The present study is noteworthy as it will exalt the level of L2 learners' speaking skills by overcoming internal and external barriers by adopting appropriate methods, techniques and procedures for proficiency, aptitude, and accuracy of speaking skills.

4. This research project will highlight the reasons and causes of such barriers and challenges and will try to discover a suitable solution for the same.

5. This work would facilitate curriculum developers in developing and designing apposite curricula to make L2 learning more advantageous in the context of Pakistan.

Delimitation of the Study

This research work was demarcated to explore the role of internal and external target language barriers to effective communication at the graduation level. The current study was conducted at Public Sector University i.e. Ghazi University, affiliated public and private sector colleges to the said university and sub-campuses of Bahaudin Zakariya University Multan and Govt. College University Faisal Abad is situated in Dera Ghazi Khan Division, where BS in English is in progress.

Table 1. Statistical Description of the Psychological Factors i.e. Fear and Anxiety Parameter of the Scale

Table 2. Screening Frequency of Students Testified on Fear and Anxiety Parameter of the Scale

The acknowledged descriptive statistics in table 3demonstrate that the target language learners reacted regarding ‘the sources of fear and anxiety as internal communicative barriers among L2 learners’ from high to medium and medium to low degree values. It is the very first classification among the eight sub-categories of the main scale and this group is supplementary separated into 8 sub-statements of the major statement and the most ideal statement recounted by the L2 learners was Item # 9 ‘fear of mistakes embarrasses me when I try to answer voluntarily in EFL classroom’ (M= 3.000 & SD= 0.2083), Item #11 ‘I forget to speak when someone snubs me while expressing my ideas’ (M=2.2030 & SD= 0.9355), Item #7 ‘I tremble when I have to speak in English in front of big gathering’ (M=2.095 & SD=0.4764), Item #8 ‘I become anxious while reading aloud in L2 classroom’ (M=2.0902 & SD=0.4167), Item #10 ‘I become anxious when I feel that other students speak in the class better than me’ (M=2.0451 & SD=0.2083), Item #6 ‘Language anxiety halts me to converse with my seniors, elders and who are expert in English speaking' (M=2.013 & SD=2.013), Item #12 ‘My classmates unnecessarily laugh at my minor mistakes during interactive communication and it makes me anxious’ (M=1.6692& SD=0.4881), Item #13 ‘Fear of criticism from my class fellows stops me from speaking English’ (M=1.0752 & SD=0.2647).

Table 4. Age Group T-test Showing Relation of Age Group on Fear and anxiety Scale Categories

(0.05) level of mean shows a significant difference.

Table 4shows thatthe data of 307 male and female L2 learners were divided into two major categories of age groups i.e. 17-19 years and 20-22 years age groups. In the first category of the age group of age groups i.e. 17-19, there were 109 male and female respondents who were 35% of the total participants. In the second category of age group i.e. 20-22 years, there were 198 respondents who were 65% of 307 male and female foreign language learners. The collaboration of the age group category with the very first sub-category of the main scale divulges the statistically most significant correlation of 'the sources of fear and anxiety as internal communicative barriers among L2 learners' with F= 41.99; 43.62 and P=0.000; 0.000 values respectively.

Table 5. Gender T-test Showing Relation of Gender on Fear and Anxiety Scale Categories

(0.05) level of mean shows a significant difference.

In table 4.4.17 the acknowledged data was alienated into male and female categories of the participant in the female gender category there were 133 respondents who were 43% of the total 307 accomplices and in the male category, 174 L2 learners were included who were 57% of the overall numbers who contributed in this research project. The interaction of the gender group with the second sub-category of the main scale categories reveals a statistically non-significant correlation of 'the sources of fear and anxiety as internal communicative barriers among L2 learners' with F=0.83; 0.14 and P=0.364; 0.707.

Table 6. Current Semester of Enrolment T-test Showing Relation of Current Semester of Enrolment on Fear and Anxiety Scale Categories

(0.05) level of mean shows a significant difference.

Data for the current study exhibited in table 5 were collected from the four semesters of the Spring 2021 session i.e. 2^nd, 4^th, 6^th, and 8^th. In the first category, i.e. from the 2^nd semester, 56 foreign language learners participated and it was 18.24104% of the total population. In the second category i.e. from the 4^th semester 55 male and female students contributed and it was 17.91531% of the total numbers. In the third category i.e. from the 6^th semester, 105 participants were included that indicating 34.20195% of 307. In the last category i.e. from the 8^th semester, 91 L2 learners participated and this was 29.64169% of the total population. The collaboration of the current semester of enrolment category with the first, second, third and fourth sub-categories of the main scale categories disclose the statistically most significant correlation of 'the sources of fear and anxiety as internal communicative barriers among L2 learners' with F= 18.23; 18.34; 18.19; 18.26 and P=0.000; 0.000; 0.000; 0.000 values respectively.

Table 6. Populations’ Institution Wise T-test Showing Relation of Populations’ Institution Wise on Fear and Anxiety Scale Categories.

(0.05) level of mean shows a significant difference.

In table 6, firstly, the established information was distributed to public and private teaching institutes and it was recounted that 260 respondents were enrolled in the public sector institutes which were 84.6905% of the total of 307. The second category signified that 47 learners who participated in this research were from private affiliated colleges and degree awarding institutes and they were 15.3095 per cent of the selected sample of the current study. The relationship of learners' institution-wise category indicates the statistically most significant correlation of 'the sources of fear and anxiety as internal communicative barriers among L2 learners' with F= 43.04; 44.12 and P=0.000; 0.000 values respectively.

Table 7. Living Background T-test showing the relation of Living Background on Eight Fear and Anxiety Scale Categories

(0.05) level of mean shows a significant difference.

In table 7, the first category was about the rural background of the selected population and it showed that 134 male and female students were from countryside areas this was 43.6482% of the whole figure. The second category indicated the 173 male and female students who were 56.3518% of the total number of the sample were from urban areas who contributed to the current study. The collaboration of the living background category with 'the sources of fear and anxiety as internal communicative barriers among L2 learners' with F=1.74; 1.92 and P=0.189; 0.174 respectively showed a non-significant relationship.

Research QuestJion 1

What are the foundations of fear and anxiety as internal communicative barriers among ESL

students at the graduation level?

According to the research findings about 'the sources of fear and anxiety as internal communicative barriers among L2 learners' from high to medium and medium to low degree values only in two statements. It means the majority of the foreign language learners responded that due to internal communicative barriers such as fear and anxiety, their foreign language communicative ability is badly disturbed as the effect of these two internal/affective factors increases, and the communicative ability of L2 learners of BS English decreases. On the contrary, as the influence of these factors decreases, the interactive communication of foreign language learners increases. Favourable teaching conditions and teachers' assistance are the only courses to overcome or minimize the injurious effect of these two internal hindrances. English language teachers can perfectly assist the learners to mitigate the influence by ensuring a pleasurable, reactive, welcoming, accommodating and cooperative attitude while speaking in an L2 classroom and make them believe to have confidence during such type of activity and never bother about making mistakes because making mistakes in L2 guide the learners to be skilful speakers of the foreign language. To overcome psychological factors such as fear of mistakes and anxiety, teachers need to stimulate and support positive speaking capabilities and proficiencies rather than fear.

Research Question 2

What are the impacts of fear and anxiety as internal communicative barriers among ESL students?

The findings of the study imply a number of impacts as fear and anxiety create a huge gap in a conversation between the learners and their instructors and for achieving a colourful impact these two stakeholders have to contribute for overcoming to all the challenges. Additionally, negative evaluation and negative criticism from the side of the teacher and the classmates also create a big hurdle to getting the positive ends. Similarly, self-comparison with other class fellows and communicative uneasiness with the respective teachers and the senior fellows, fear of committing errors and mistakes while communicating in the classroom or outside of the learning place with friends results in the loss of communicative ability. This unfavourable situation can only be altered by the joint efforts of the two stakeholders i.e. teachers and students.

The findings and results of 'the foundations of fear and anxiety as internal communicative barriers among ESL students' discovered that there is a significant positive relationship between the two said psychological factors and the communicative ability of the learners. It means the majority of the foreign language learners responded that due to internal communicative barriers such as fear and anxiety, their foreign language communicative ability is badly disturbed as the effect of these two internal/affective factors increases, and the communicative ability of L2 learners of BS English decreases. On the contrary, as the influence of these factors decreases, the interactive communication of foreign language learners increases. Favourable teaching conditions and teachers' assistance are the only courses to overcome or minimize the injurious effect of these two internal hindrances. English language teachers can perfectly assist the learners to mitigate the influence by ensuring a pleasurable, reactive, welcoming, accommodating and cooperative attitude while speaking in an L2 classroom and make them believe to have confidence during such type of activity and never bother about making mistakes because making mistakes in L2 guide the learners to be skilful speakers of the foreign language.