Which term describes the language form produced by learners that blends features from both their native language and the target language?

• A. Interlanguage
• B. Fossilization
• C. Codeswitching
• D. Interpersonal

Answer: (A)

Interlanguage is the learner’s developing linguistic system that sits between the native language and the target language. It forms as learners test hypotheses about how the target language works, drawing on their native-language patterns and the input they receive. This creates forms that blend features from both languages and show systematic, rule-governed patterns that aren’t yet fully in line with the target language. With ongoing practice and feedback, the interlanguage evolves toward the target language; sometimes certain forms become fixed and persist, a situation called fossilization. Codeswitching, by contrast, is switching between languages in actual conversation for social or contextual reasons, not an intermediate learner grammar.