The correct answer is option 'D': Language and its associated skills can be mastered with regular practice.

Explanation:

Habit formation is a process by which behaviors become automatic through repetition. When it comes to language learning, habit formation plays a crucial role in mastering a language and its associated skills. Regular practice is essential for developing and strengthening these habits.

Benefits of Habit Formation:

- Efficiency: Habitual behaviors require less conscious effort, allowing individuals to perform them more efficiently. Regular practice helps learners develop the habit of using the language naturally and effortlessly.

- Consistency: Habit formation ensures that learners consistently engage in language practice, which is necessary for progress and improvement. By making language learning a regular part of their routine, learners increase their exposure to the language and reinforce their skills consistently.

- Retention: Habitual practice enhances long-term retention of language skills. Regularly practicing listening, speaking, reading, and writing helps learners retain vocabulary, grammar rules, pronunciation, and other aspects of the language.

Role of Regular Practice:

Regular practice is crucial for habit formation in language learning. It allows learners to internalize the language and its associated skills, making them more automatic and effortless over time.

- Repetition: Regular practice involves repeating language exercises, drills, conversations, and other language activities. This repetition helps reinforce the neural connections associated with language learning, making the skills more ingrained.

- Consolidation: Regular practice allows learners to consolidate their knowledge and skills. By practicing various language activities consistently, learners reinforce what they have learned, connect new information with existing knowledge, and solidify their language abilities.

- Fluency: Regular practice is essential for developing fluency in a language. Fluency requires automaticity, where language skills are readily available without conscious effort. Regular practice helps learners develop the habit of using the language fluently, improving their speaking, listening, reading, and writing abilities.

- Mastery: Regular practice is the key to mastering a language and its associated skills. By consistently engaging in language activities, learners develop a deep understanding of the language's nuances, cultural aspects, and various language components like vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation.

In conclusion, regular practice is essential for habit formation and mastering a language and its associated skills. By making language practice a regular part of their routine, learners can develop efficient, consistent, and automatic language habits, leading to fluency and mastery.