What is the word for "the fear of being grammatically incorrect"?
Is there a word for "the fear of being grammatically incorrect"? If not, then what's a good way to describe such a situation?
Context:
A: I noticed you were quiet during the talk. Why was that?
B: I (have / am, ...) ______, so I didn't speak.
Solution 1:
There is a fairly new term called grammar anxiety which is mainly used in academic sources and publications. Though it can be seen in native speakers, it is usually associated with second-language acquisition and foreign language anxiety.
From the book "Navigating English Grammar: A Guide to Analyzing Real Language" By Anne Lobeck, Kristin Denham":
An extreme case might be observed in people who suffers from atelophobia. It is an anxiety disorder which is the fear of not being good enough or imperfection. Atelophobics usually have the fear of making a mistake in front of others and they show extreme disappointment if they fail at something.
Solution 2:
In that particular context I would suggest using performance anxiety.
While not specifically relating to 'fear of using incorrect grammar', it does refer to the 'fear of doing something in front of a group of people.'
Solution 3:
This gets rolled up into glossophobia which is the fear of speaking in general. There are tons of reasons to fear speaking and grammar would be a subset.
Solution 4:
Personally, I would recommend either: "I was afraid I would misspeak so I did not answer."
Or, more precisely: "I was afraid of making a syntax error, so I refrained from speaking."