Which term describes a learner's progress stalling despite continued exposure to the target language?

• A. Fossilization
• B. Interlanguage
• C. Grammar-based
• D. Interpretive

Answer: (A)

Fossilization describes a learner’s progress that stalls even with ongoing exposure to the language. After a period of developing an internal system for the language, certain features—like a consistent pronunciation pattern, a troublesome grammar structure, or a particular vocabulary usage—become fixed and resistant to further improvement. The learner can understand and communicate fairly well, but those specific forms don’t move toward native-like accuracy despite continued input, practice, and even feedback. This happens while other parts of the system may still be evolving, but the stubborn features stay the same. The idea contrasts with interlanguage, which is the overall, evolving set of rules a learner uses as they learn; fossilization is about specific elements becoming permanently stabilized.