Interlanguage

Interlanguage

Interlanguage is the systemic development of learner language reflects a mental system of L2 knowledge. To understand what is meant by interlanguage we need to consider behaviourist learning theory and mentalist views of language learning.

Behaviourist Learning 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 could be explained in terms of habits

·      Learning took place when learners had the opportunity to practise making the correct response to a given stimulus.

·      Learners imitated models of correct language and received reinforcement.

·      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

·      Learning is not just a response to external stimuli.

A Mentalist Theory of Language Learning

·      Concerning to nature (i.e. how the innate properties of the human mind shape learning)

·      In the 1960s and 1970s a mentalist theory of first language (L!) acquisition emerged. 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 (Language Acquisition Device).

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

4.    Input is needed, but only to “trigger” the operation of the language acquisition device

What is “Interlanguage”?

·      A learner’s interlanguage is a unique linguistic system.

·      The concept of interlanguage involves the following premises about L2 acquisition

1.    The learner constructs a system of abstract linguistic rules which underlines comprehension and production of the L2.

2.    The learner’s grammar is permeable

3.    The learner’s grammar is transitional

4.    Some researchers have claimed that the system learners construct contain variable rules.

5.    Learners employ various learning strategies to develop their interlanguage.

6.    The learner’s grammar is likely to fossilize.

·       It incorporates elements from mentalist theories of linguistics and elements from cognitive psychology.

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 :

1.        Parts of it are attended to and taken into short-term memory (intake).

2.        Some of the intake is stored in long-term memory as L2 knowledge.