On the Reaons for the Formation of Fossilization in Interlanguage.doc

On the Reasons for the Formation of Fossilization in Interlanguage Abstract: It is universal to see fossilization during second language acquisition. It is one of the most significant features among interlanguage, and interlanguage is an inevitable phenomenon in the process of second language acquisition.Since the phenomenon of fossilization in interlanguage is proposed by Selinker in 1972,it has drawn much attention and has been one of the obstacles in the process foreign language teaching and learning. Therefore, it’s very necessary to make a research into the phenomenon of fossilization. Based on some relevant theories, this paper analyzes the reasons of fossilization and puts forward some ways which could be adopted to help learners prevent and reduce fossilization. Literature Review: The notion of fossilization dates back to scholars such as Weinreich (1953) and Nemser(1971). Weinreich, for example, talked about permanent grammatical influence (cited in Selinker,1992:41) and Nemser about permanent intermediate systems and subsystems (p.174). Both researchers not only recognized the phenomenon but also integrated it into their theoretical perspectives (For an accessible discussion of the earliest thoughts on fossilization, see Selinker, 1992).The term fossilization was introduced to the field of SLA by Selinker in 1972 on the basis of his observation that the vast majority of second language learners fail to achieve native-speaker competence. Larry Selinker (1972) introduced the term Interlanguage to refer to the immediate states (or interim grammars) of a learner’s language as it moves toward the target L2. It is different from the native language and the target language while owning both of their experience. It is unavoidable for each foreign language learner to undertake the interlanguage period before he could take advantage of the language skills skillfully as the native speaker. Selinker (1972) first put forward the definition of fossilization in the p