3. Interlanguage

Tiyas Fauziah

2201411005

Rombel 4 / 103 -104

3. Interlanguage

          Some  researchers consider that the systematic development of learner language reflects a mental system of L2 knowledge. This system is often referred to as interlanguage. To understand what is meant by interlanguage we need to briefly consider behaviourist learning and mentalist views of language learning.

Behaviourist learning theory

          According to this theory, language learning is like any other kind of learning in that it involves habit formation. A habit is a stimulus-response connection.

          All behaviour, including the kind of complex baheviour found in language acquisition, could be explained in terms of habits. Behaviourist accounts of L2 acquisition emphasize only what can be directly observed and ignore what goes on in the ‘black box’ of the learner’s mind. Learners frequently do not produce output that simply produces the input. Learning is not just a response to external stimuli.

A mentalist theory of language learning

          In the 1960s and 1970s a mentalist theory of first language (L1) acquisition emerging. According to this theory :

1.    Only human beings are capable of learning language.

2.    The human mind is equipped with a faculty for learning language, referred as a Language Acquisition Device.

3.    This faculty is the primary determinant of language acquisition.

4.    Input is needed, but pnly to ‘trigger’ the operation of the language acquisition device.

The concept of interlanguage drew directly on these mentalist views of L1 acquisition.

What is ‘interlanguage’?

          The term ‘interlanguage’ was coined by the American linguist, Larry Selinker. The concept of interlanguage involves the following premises about L2 acquisition :

1.    The learner constructs a system of abstract linguistic rules which underlies comprehension and production of the L2. This system of rules is viewed as a ‘mental grammar’ and is referred as an ‘interlanguage’.

2.    The learner’s grammar is permeable. The grammar is open to influence from the outside. It is also influenced from the inside.

3.    The learner’s grammar is transitional. Learners change their grammar from one time to another. This results in an interlanguage continuum. Learners construct a series of mental grammars or interlanguages as they gradually increase the complexity of their L2 knowledge.

4.    Some researchers have exclaimed that the systems learners construct contain variable rules. They argue that learners are likely to have competing rules at any one stage of development. However, other researchers argue that interlanguage systems are homogeneous and that variability reflects the mistakes learners make when they try to use their knowledge to communicate. These researchers see variability as an aspect of performance rather than competence.

5.    Learners employ various learning strategies to develop their interlanguages. The different kinds of errors learners produce reflect different learning strategies. Overgeneralization and transfer errors can also be seen as evidence of learning strategies.

6.    The learner’s grammar is likely to fossilize. Selinker suggested that only about five per cent of learners go on to develop the same mental grammar as native speakers. The majority stop some way short. The prevalence of backsliding is typical of fossilized learners. Fossilization does not occur in L1 acquisition and thus is unique to L2 grammars.

This concept of interlanguage offers a general account of how L2 acquisition takes place. It incorporates elements from mentalist theories of linguistics and elements from cognitive psychology. It is also indeterminate in that it does not offer a very precise explanation of what takes place.

A computational model of L2 acquisition

          The concept of interlanguage can be viewed as a metaphor of how L2 acquisition takes place. The learner is exposed to input, which is processed in two stages. First, parts of it are attended to and taken into short-term memory. These are referred to as intake. Second, some of the intake is stored in long-term memory as L2 knowledge occur within the ‘black box’ of the learner’s mind where the learner’s interlanguage is constructed. L2 knowledge is used by the learner to produce spoken and written output.

          The ‘L2 knowledge’ component can be broken up into two or more components to reflect the different kinds of knowledge learners construct. An arrow can be drawn from ‘output’ to ‘input’ to show that what learner says or writes can also serve as samples of language from which intake can be derived.

Questions :

1.    What is the meaning of ‘interlanguage’?

2.    What are the examples of ‘learning strategies’ of learners to develop their interlanguages?