AM3, W4-Lecture

‘ Many of our Ss errors are evidence that they are learning’

INTERLANGUAGE THEORY
Learning L2 is a gradual process from L1 towards L2. At every stage of learning learners have rules of grammar which are not
perfect yet, but they are not L1 rules (they are something between).
In other words the learner creates a structured system of language at any stage in his development (i.e. interlanguage). Each
system is gradually revised, it evolves, the rules become more and more complex. It means the learner travels along the
interlanguage continuum towards L2 (L1 being the starting point of the development)

The interlanguage continuum

L1
L2
X__________________________________________________X

Ss need to move along this continuum if they are to learn the L2. How can they do this? Let’s imagine, S makes this error:
John cans go. His T may correct him, or he may read the sentence or hear it. After a while he’ll start to realise his rule isn’t
entirely accurate + needs refining. So, one way S can learn this is to make an error, i.e. try out a hypothesis + see if it is
correct or not according to the feedback.

This happens continually - interlanguage gradually improves (gets nearer to L2 set of rules)!

‘By a gradual process of trial & error + hypothesis testing, learners slowly and tediously succeed in establishing closer &
closer appropriateness to the system used by Native Speakers of the language.
P.168--Principles of Language Learning & Teaching, Brown

Sources of errors:
 overgeneralization
 language transfer ( or interlingual transfer)
 fossilization

STAGES OF INTERLANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT

It has been suggested there are some distinct stages along this continuum
1. RANDOM ERRORS
E.g. L is only vaguely aware there might be some systems, but has got little idea.
2. EMERGENT STAGE
L has begun to identify a system + to internalize the rules. These rules may not be correct (i.e. not the
same as the L2 rules) but they are the best the L has at this stage. At this stage we got a lot of backsliding,
they seem to have got the rule, then forget it. (e.g. present continuous instead of present simple) Can’t self-
correct very often.
3. SYSTEMATIC STAGE
Stronger system of rules + nearer to L2. More mistakes than actual errors.
4. STABILIZATION STAGE
Very few errors, mostly just mistakes of anything. One problem here – fossilization.

Where do you think you are?

NB You can be in different places for different parts of L2
e.g. stabilization - pres.simple
systematic - 2nd conditional
emergent - more complex conditional
And, NB you don’t always perform at the level you’ve reached (i.e. you make mistakes which you could easily correct) -
WHEN? - nervous, upset, thinking about meaning not form: compare doing grammar in class to talking to NSs on train

CONCLUSION
Opportunities to make errors are crucial: NO GAIN WITHOUT PAIN.
 errors give Ss data on which to base improvements of their interlanguage rules
BUT, too much correction can lead to a lack of motivation:
 we need to be encouraging + not over correct, but not let too many important errors go uncorrected
 we need to point out important errors, but not so much that the L is discouraged from speaking at all.