浅析中介语石化现象发生的学习者因素

浅析中介语石化现象发生的学习者因素

祖林1朱蕾2

StudyonLearnerFactorsofInter-languageFossilization

祖林1朱蕾2

（河北省华北电力大学，河北保定071000）

中图分类号：H314文献标识码：A文章编号：1003-2738（2012）02-0249-02

Abstract:Inter-languagefossilizationisanimportantfactorthatinfluencesandconstraintsthesecondlanguagelearners’acquisition.Learnerfactorsplayadecisiveroleinformationoffossilization.Thepaperdiscussedthelearnerfactorswhichcausedthefossilizationfromtheaspectsofbiology,cognition,psychologyandintendedtoinspirethesecondlanguageteaching.

Keywords:Inter-languagefossilization;learners;biology;cognition;psychology

（一）Introduction。

Inter-languageisanimportantconceptinthesecondlanguageacquisition.Itisthetypeoflanguageconstructedbysecondorforeignlanguagelearnerswhoarestillintheprocessoflearningalanguage.“Inter”meansbetweenthebeginningstageandthefinalstage.Selinkerpostulatedthefossilizationisthemostdistinctiveandimportantfeatureofinter-language.Itisaprocessoccurringfromtimetotimeinwhichincorrectlinguisticfeaturesbecomeapermanentpartofthewaysapersonspeaksorwritesalanguage.Inter-languagefossilizationisakindofstagnantstatethesecondlanguagelearnersencounterintheirprocessoflanguageleaningbeforetheirlevelcanreachthatofthenativespeakers.Theenvironmentalandinternalfactorsarecalledlearnerfactors.Thisarticlewilldiscussthelearnerfactorswhichcausedthefossilizationfromtheaspectsofbiology,cognitionandpsychology.

（二）LearnerFactorsCausingtheInter-languageFossilization。

1.BiologicalFactors。

Lenneberghasproposedthecriticalperiodhypothesisoflanguageacquisition.Hebelievesthataperiodoftimeexistsinthelanguageacquisitionprocessandlanguageacquisitionisveryeasyduetotheroleofphysiologicalfactorsduringthisperiod.Thenervoussystemwhichinvolvesthefunctionsoflanguagecomprehensionanddevelopmentwillconcentratetotheleftsideofthebrainwiththeagegrowing.Thephysiologicalfunctionswhichinvolvethelanguagefunctionswillmakethelanguagelearningdifficultandresultinfossilization.

2.CognitiveFactors。

Languagelearningisacognitivebehaviorandfollowsthecommonhumancognitivelaws.Andersonclassifiedtheknowledgeintotwotypes:declarativeknowledge(knowledgeofthefacts)andproceduralknowledge(howtodo).Andersonthinksthatthedeclarativeknowledgeareacquiredmainlybymemorizing;proceduralknowledgeareacquiredinthreestages:declarativestage,theconnectivestageandautomaticstage.Krashencitedthefivefactorswhichmaycausethefossilizationduringthecognitiveprocessofsecondlanguageacquisition:lackofinputofthetargetlanguage;lowqualityofthetargetlanguageinput;affectivefilters;outputfiltersofthetargetlanguageandtheacquisitionofvariationformoftargetlanguage.Basedontheinter-languageresearch,Krashenputforwardthe"comprehensibleinputhypothesis"thatis"i+1"theory.Hethinksthatifthecomprehensibleinputexistsintheutterancewhichlearnerscontactwith,thelanguageacquisitionwilloccur.Thelanguagelearningprogressdependsonthecomprehensibleinputwhichisalittlehigherthanthecontemporarylanguageunderstandinglevel,otherwisethefossilizationwilloccur.

3.PsychologicalFactors。

Thesecondorforeignlanguagelearningandmotherlanguagelearningisbuiltonthebasisofvariouspsychology,thatistosay,thesecondlanguageandmothertonguehavedifferentmechanismsfortheacquisitionandthesetwodifferentmechanismsleadtodifferentlanguagesystem.

Vygotskybelievesthatthefossilizationistheautomatedormechanizedpsychologicalprocess.WashburnputthelearnersintothedialogueorlanguageexchangeenvironmentwithVygotsky’sconceptof"zoneofproximaldevelopment"toanalyzehisusinglanguage,withthisacertainlearneroracertainlanguagecanbeanalyzedtobefossilizedorinthestatementofdevelopment.Thepartwhichisnotchangedisthefossilizedpart.Slobinproposed“thinkingforspeaking”toexplainthetransferfromthepsychologicalperspectivetocausethenativelanguagetransfer.“Thinkingforspeaking”systemofnativelanguagecannotbefullyrevokedwhenithasbecomemature.Whenlearningasecondlanguagelearnersalwaysusethemasterednativelanguage’s“thinkingforspeaking”systemtoconceptualizethesecondlanguagesystem,leadingtotheoccurrenceoffossilization.

（三）Conclusion。

Theinter-languagefossilizationisamorecomplexstudyintheresearchesrelevanttotheinter-language.Theresearcherscanexploretheemergenceanddevelopmentoflawsoftheinter-languagefossilizationtoovercomeorpreventtheoccurrenceoffossilization,andgraduallyimprovethelearner'sinter-languagefromtheperspectiveofbiology,cognitionandpsychology,whichcanbehelpfultothesecondlanguageteaching.

Biography:

[1]HanZhaohong.FossilizationinAdultSecondLanguageAcquisition[M].Beijing:ForeignLanguageTeachingandResearchPress,2008.

[2]远.2008.成人二语习得中的僵化现象（导读）.北京:外语教学与研究出版社。

作者简介：

[1]祖林（1957-），男，河北省唐山人，华北电力大学（保定），副教授，学位：硕士研究生，研究方向：英汉对比语言学，应用语言学。

[2]朱蕾（1988-），女，山东省嘉祥人，河北省华北电力大学（保定）外国语学院硕士研究生，研究方向为英汉对比语言学，应用语言学。