Interlanguage Theory: Implications for the Classroom

The Interlanguage theory, that assumes that an active and independent learning mind makes its own generalizations upon grappling with a new language, argues that the errors that a learner makes in the rules of the target language are often in fact "correct " by the rules of an "inter-language " invented by the learner as a provisional and sufficiently workable subsÛtute. To insist on penalising ail such "errors " has the effect of breaking down the learner's capacity to organize his or her progress in this way. Frith reviews the research supporting this hypo-thesis and outlines sorne practical steps to be taken by the teacher of second languages who would conform wih its implications. In this paper 1 shaH trace briefly the historical development of the interlanguage hypothesis as proposed and developed by different theorists; 1 shaIl then refer to research conducted within this frame-work, and finally 1 shaIl discuss findings from these empirical studies as weIl as sorne materials development which this hypothesis has in-spired. The paper which started the baIl roIling, so to speak, was Corder's "The significance of learners ' errors " (1967). He pointed out that the development of generative linguistics and interest in psycholinguistic research had initiated a shift of emphasis in language teaching from its preoccupation with teaching towards the study of learning. The new interest led naturaIly to comparison between first language (LI) and second language (L2) learning, and to the question of whether the apparent differences between the two represent two different processes of learning. Corder then went on to hypothesize that sorne of the strategies employed by second language learners are essentially the same as those used by children learning their first language. Looked at in this way the L2 learners ' errors had new significance: the occurrence of systematic errors could be taken as an indication of active participa-tion by the learners in the learning process, dur,ing which their ability to forro hypotheses about the rule system of thf: target language (TL