A process through which an error has become a permanent feature of a learner's language use and is believed to be resistant to correction.

• A. Fossilisation
• B. Overgeneralization
• C. Interlanguage
• D. Transfer

Answer: (A)

Fossilisation describes that a learner’s error has become entrenched and persists in their language use despite correction and continued exposure to the correct form. This happens when certain forms become a fixed part of how the learner speaks or writes, even after feedback and practice. It’s not just a temporary mistake but a stabilized pattern that resists usual classroom or corrective efforts.

This best fits the idea of a permanent feature that’s hard to correct. In contrast, overgeneralization is when a learner applies a rule too broadly (like adding -ed to irregular verbs or forming plurals in an incorrect way) and expects more correction to refine the rule, but it’s not inherently fixed. Interlanguage refers to the learner’s evolving, provisional system between L1 and the target language; it’s dynamic and can still change with input. Transfer involves influence from the first language shaping errors, which can be corrected with targeted instruction but isn’t by itself a claim of permanent fixation.