Some questions to consider

1. How do we determine that an adult second language learner has fossilized? According to Han, “fossilization is a process, not a product.” Is there such a thing as fossilized competence? Are there different diagnoses for different levels of linguistic analysis?

2. It is a fact that ultimate attainment is rare and highly variable in second language acquisition. Why is that? (Affective/psycho-social variables versus input?)

3. Once it is established that an adult second language learner has fossilized, what intervention techniques can be used to enable her to reformulate target language structures and approximate them? Sharwood-Smith’s idea of consciousness raising and input enhancement comes to mind.

4. How do we account for the differences in oral versus written modes?

Colloquium on Fossilization

Eva Fernandez and I have created this blog to generate a lively discussion of fossilization in adult second language acqusition. We hope that language teachers, second language acquisition researchers, and applied linguists will discuss the importance of linking L2 acquisition theory to pedagogical practice, share intervention techniques that can potentially increase the chances for adult learners to acquire native-like proficiency in their target language, and offer guidance for language practitioners to incorporate such techniques into their own teaching.