ABSTRACT
So, we come to the factual status of fossilization. I know it exists. I also know that most teachers and researchers I've talked to know that non-learning is a persistent problem in SLA, that fossilization, or a cessation of IL learning often far from TL norms, is a reasonable way of looking at this non-learning. As reported above, Van Buren (1988) sees fossilization as one of two major binary choices facing a learner in determining whether the IL grammar should be a 'wide' one or a 'narrow' one. Also, Scovel (1988) makes the question of phonological fossilization central in his extended discussion of critical period issues, while Preston (1989) devotes a significant part of his volume to the fossilization issue, suggesting a model to account for two distinct types of fossilization. Zuengler (1989a, b and c), like Preston, concludes that social identity factors are prime causes.
