An emerging linguistic system developed by a learner of a second language who is not yet fully proficient is referred to as what?

• A. Interlanguage
• B. Fossilization
• C. Interference
• D. Transfer

Answer: (A)

Interlanguage is the evolving linguistic system a learner creates as they learn a second language. It sits between the learner’s native language and the target language, reflecting the learner’s current hypotheses about grammar, word use, and meaning. This system isn’t fixed; it grows and changes as the learner tests new forms, overgeneralizes rules, and mixes patterns from their first language with the target language. Because the learner isn’t fully proficient yet, this interlanguage naturally shows systematic rules and recurring errors that signal ongoing development. Sometimes features become fossilized, meaning they stop changing despite further exposure, but the concept described here is the learner-created, progressing system in between languages. Other terms describe related ideas: fossilization refers to stabilized errors, interference is the influence of the first language on the second, and transfer is the initial carrying over of L1 patterns into L2.