Ace Your TESOL Test 2025 – Unleash Your English Teaching Superpowers!

The term that describes the evolving language system a learner constructs while acquiring a new language is known as interlanguage. This concept refers to the unique linguistic system that learners develop as they transition from their native language toward fluency in a new language. Interlanguage incorporates elements from both the learner's first language and the target language, reflecting the learner's current understanding and progress.

As learners work through the complexities of a new language, their interlanguage can exhibit features of both their native language and the grammatical structures of the target language they are trying to master. This dynamic system is characterized by self-created rules, occasional errors, and an ongoing process of refining their language skills. Recognizing interlanguage is crucial for educators as it helps to understand how learners develop language competence and identify areas that require additional support.

The other concepts, such as native language, first language acquisition, and target language, do not capture this evolving aspect specific to learners' development in a second language. Native language refers to the language a person learns from birth, first language acquisition pertains to the process of acquiring one’s native language, and target language signifies the language being learned, rather than the learner's personal system during the learning phase.