Interlanguage

Interlanguage is the type of language(or linguistic system) used by second-and foreign-

language learners who are in the process of learning a target language.

Interlanguage theory is generally credited to Larry Selinker, an American professor of applied

linguistics, whose article "Interlanguage" appeared in the January 1972 issue of the journal
International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching.

"[Interlanguage] reflects the learner's evolving system of rules, and results from a variety of
processes, including the influence of the first language ('transfer'), contrastive interference from
the target language, and the overgeneralization of newly encountered rules." (David Crystal, A
Dictionary of Linguistics and Phonetics, 4th ed. Blackwell, 1997)

An interlanguage is based on the learners' experiences with the L2. It can "fossilize", or cease
developing, in any of its developmental stages. The interlanguage rules are claimed to be shaped
by several factors, including L1-transfer, previous learning strategies, strategies of L2 acquisition
(i.e., simplification), L2 communication strategies(i.e., circumlocution), and overgeneralization
of L2 language patterns.
Interlanguage is based on the theory that there is a dormant psychological framework in the
human brain that is activated when one attempts to learn a second language. Larry Selinker
coined the terms "interlanguage" and "fossilization." Uriel Weinreich is credited with providing
the foundational information that was the basis of Selinker's research. Selinker (1972) noted that
in a given situation, the utterances produced by a learner are different from those native
speakerswould produce had they attempted to convey the same meaning. This comparison
suggests the existence of a separate linguistic system. This system can be observed when
studying the utterances of the learner who attempts to produce meaning in their L2 speech; it is
not seen when that same learner performs form-focused tasks, such as oral drills in a classroom.
Saville-Troike named interlanguage as “transfer”, meaning a transition of prior knowledge from
L1 to L2, as one of the processes that is involved in interlanguage development. Further, she
identifies two types of transfer: positive transfer and negative transfer. Positive transfer occurs
when an L1 structure or rule is used in an L2 utterance and that is appropriate or “correct” in the
L2. Meanwhile negative transfer occurs when an L1 structure or rule is used in an L2 utterance
and that use is inappropriate and considered an “error”. In this process of transfer, the aspects of
language involved are vocabulary, pronunciation, grammar and all other aspects of language
structure and use.
There are five central processes that exist central to second
l a n g u a g e learning.

First , language transfer;

second , transfer of training;
third , strategies of second language learning;
fourth , strategies of second language communication; and
fifth, overgeneralization of TL linguistic materials.

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 I n t h e f i r s t p r o c e s s ( language transfer), some of the rules in the
i n t e r l a n g u a g e s y s t e m m a y b e t h e result of transfer from the learner’s first
language. The learners use their
mother t o n g u e t o c r e a t e t h e i r o w n l a n g u a g e s y s t e m . A n d t h i s i s n o t
a n e r r o r b u t t h e process that must be passed by the learners when they learn the second la
nguage,for example: Today was really tired.

In the second process (transfer of training),

some of the components of the interlanguage system may
b e t h e r e s u l t f r o m transfer of specific
e l e m e n t s t h r o u g h w h i c h t h e l e a r n e r s i s t a u g h t t h e s e c o n d language.

In the third process (strategies of second language learning),

some of the rules in the learners’ interlanguage may be the result from the
application of language learning strategies as a tendency on the part of the learners
to reduce the T L t o a s i m p l e r s y s t e m .

I n t h e n e x t p r o c e s s ( s t r a t e g i e s o f s e c o n d l a n g u a g e communication),
interlanguage system rules may also be the result of strategies employed by the
learners in their attempt to communicate with native speakers of the target
language.

At the last process, Overgeneralization,

some of the rules of the interlanguage system may be the result of
overgeneralization of specific rules a n d f e a t u r e s o f t h e t a r g e t l a n g u a g e . F o r
i n s t a n c e , t h e l e a r n e r s c a n s a y “ I g o e d home” to overgeneralize English rules by
adding –ed at the end of verb to express the past form. This error happened because
of learning strategies.

Several researchers pointed out that the language of L2

l e a r n e r s i s s y s t e m a t i c which leads to rule-governed behavior.
This brings a conception that interlanguage is based on the proposal that L2 learners
have internalized a mental g r a m m a r, a n a t u r a l l a n g u a g e s y s t e m t h a t c a n b e
described in terms of linguistic rules and principles. Therefore,
i n t e r l a n g u a g e g r a m m a r s a r e s e e n l i k e t h e o t h e r grammar, including Universal
Grammar (UG).

Interlanguage and Fossilization

"The process of learning a second language (L2) is characteristically non-linear and fragmentary.
In the earliest conception (Corder, 1967; Nemser, 1971; Selinker, 1972), interlanguage is
metaphorically a halfway house between the first language (L1) and the TL, hence 'inter.' The L1
is the source language that provides the initial building materials to be gradually blended with
materials taken from the TL, resulting in new forms that are neither in the L1, nor in the TL. This

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 conception identifies a defining characteristic of L2 learning, initially known as 'fossilization'
(Selinker, 1972) and later on broadly referred to as 'incompleteness' (Schachter, 1988, 1996),
relative to the ideal version of a monolingual native speaker.

An interlanguage can fossilize, or cease developing, in any of its developmental stages.

Fossilization is the process of 'freezing' of the transition between the L1 and L2, and is regarded
as the final stage of interlanguage development. It can occur even in motivated learners who are
continuously exposed to their L2 or have adequate learning support. Reasons for this
phenomenon may be due to complacency or inability to overcome the obstacles to acquiring
native proficiency in the L2. Fossilization occurs often in adult language learners. It can also
occur when a learner succeeds in conveying messages with their current L2 knowledge. The need
to correct the form/structure is therefore not present. The learner fossilizes the form instead of
correcting it.

"Thus, a fundamental concern in L2 research has been that learners typically stop short of target-
like attainment, i.e., the monolingual native speaker's competence, in some or all linguistic
domains, even in environments where input seems abundant, motivation appears strong, and
opportunity for communicative practice is plentiful." (ZhaoHong Han, "Interlanguage and
Fossilization: Towards an Analytic Model." Contemporary Applied Linguistics: Language
Teaching and Learning, ed. by Li Wei and Vivian Cook. Continuum, 2009)

Defining overgeneralization

In linguistics, overgeneralization is the application of a grammatical rule in cases where it

doesn't apply.

The term overgeneralization is most often used in connection with language acquisition by
children. For example, a young child may say "foots" instead of "feet," overgeneralizing
the morphological rule for making plural nouns.

Example

 "'If I knowed the last bug I eated would be the last bug I eated, I woulda eated it slower,'
Phil said sadly."
(Cathy East Dubowski, Rugrats Go Wild. Simon Spotlight, 2003)

Most of you have probably heard a child say a word that you would never say. For example,
children acquiring English routinely produce verbs like bringedand goed or nouns
like mouses and foots, and they certainly haven't learned these forms from the adults around
them. So they aren't imitating adult speech, but they are figuring out grammatical rules, in this
case the way to form past tense verbs and plural nouns. This process of figuring out a
grammatical rule and applying it generally is called overgeneralization. They will later modify
their natural rules of past tense and plural formation to accommodate the exceptions,
including brought, went, mice, and feet. And moreover, they'll modify their language only when

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 they're good and ready."
(Kristin Denham and Anne Lobeck, Linguistics for Everyone: An Introduction. Wadsworth,
2010)

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