What is interlanguage?

What is interlanguage?

• A. Language produced by a learner of a second language that has grammatical features not found in the native language or the learner's first language.
• B. The interference between two sign languages.
• C. The process of decoding signs in a bilingual setting.
• D. A set of rules governing sign production common to both languages.

Answer: (A)

Interlanguage is the learner’s evolving, intermediate system when acquiring a second language. It sits between the learner’s native language and the target language and often includes new or altered grammatical forms that aren’t part of either language yet. The option that mentions grammatical features not found in the native language or the learner’s first language best reflects this idea: the learner’s developing grammar can produce forms that are distinct from both L1 and the target language as they experiment and generalize rules. For example, a learner might apply a general past-tense rule to an irregular verb and say “goed,” a form not correct in the target language and not a standard feature of the learner’s L1—illustrating an intermediate stage. Interlanguage is shaped by influences from both languages and evolves over time, sometimes becoming more target-like with practice. The other descriptions describe language transfer between sign languages, the process of decoding signs, or shared rules across languages, which don’t capture the learner’s own evolving intermediate system.

Interlanguage is the learner’s evolving, intermediate system when acquiring a second language. It sits between the learner’s native language and the target language and often includes new or altered grammatical forms that aren’t part of either language yet. The option that mentions grammatical features not found in the native language or the learner’s first language best reflects this idea: the learner’s developing grammar can produce forms that are distinct from both L1 and the target language as they experiment and generalize rules. For example, a learner might apply a general past-tense rule to an irregular verb and say “goed,” a form not correct in the target language and not a standard feature of the learner’s L1—illustrating an intermediate stage. Interlanguage is shaped by influences from both languages and evolves over time, sometimes becoming more target-like with practice. The other descriptions describe language transfer between sign languages, the process of decoding signs, or shared rules across languages, which don’t capture the learner’s own evolving intermediate system.