Stabilization
Stabilization is an extended period of no apparent progress in interlanguage development for a particular linguistic feature. It shares surface characteristics with fossilization, where the learner appears stuck, but differs fundamentally in that stabilization is potentially reversible.
Long (2003): The Key Distinction
Michael Long (2003) argued that much of what researchers call "fossilization" is more accurately described as stabilization. His critique was both conceptual and methodological:
- Fossilization: claims permanence; the feature will never develop further, regardless of input, instruction, or motivation
- Stabilization: describes a temporary plateau; development has ceased for the time being but may resume given changed conditions
Long noted that "fossilization" had become a catch-all label for any non-target-like ultimate attainment, losing its technical precision: "a broad-brush method of characterizing what a learner did not do, not a competence issue, a matter of what he or she could not do" (Long, 2003, p. 513). He recommended that researchers focus on the well-attested phenomenon of stabilization rather than making unfalsifiable claims about permanent cessation.
What Triggers Stabilization
| Factor | Mechanism |
|---|---|
| Communicative sufficiency | The error does not impede communication: no pressure to develop further |
| Reduced input quality | Exposure to other L2 speakers reinforces non-target norms |
| Lack of feedback | Without corrective feedback, the learner has no signal to restructure |
| Automatisation of non-target forms | Incorrect forms become fluent through repeated use; see Automaticity |
| Motivational plateau | External or internal motivation to improve diminishes |
What Can Destabilise It
Unlike fossilization, stabilization can be overcome through:
- Intensive, targeted corrective feedback
- Focus on form that draws attention to the specific stabilized feature
- Changed communicative demands (new context requiring higher accuracy)
- Study abroad or immersion that provides richer input
- Renewed motivation or new goals
Stabilization vs Fossilization
The practical problem is that the two look identical at any single point in time. Only longitudinal observation can distinguish them, and Long argued that the evidence required to claim fossilization (truly permanent cessation) is virtually impossible to obtain, since it requires demonstrating that no future change is possible.
Teaching Implications
- A plateau in learner progress should not be interpreted as permanent inability; it may be stabilization
- Targeted intervention during stabilized periods can restart development
- Teachers should vary the type and intensity of feedback, input, and task demands to destabilize entrenched non-target forms
- Backsliding during a destabilization phase may actually signal positive restructuring
References
- Long, M.H. (2003). Stabilization and fossilization in interlanguage development. In C.J. Doughty & M.H. Long (Eds.), The handbook of second language acquisition (pp. 487–535). Blackwell.
- Han, Z.-H. (2004). Fossilization in adult second language acquisition. Multilingual Matters.