MSI Press Blog

  Many language learners plateau at Level 3—Professional Proficiency—not because they lack motivation or exposure, but because they’ve unknowingly become trapped in a phenomenon known as linguistic fossilization. Fossilization refers to deeply ingrained errors in grammar (morphology and syntax), vocabulary, intonation, and pronunciation. These errors persist despite continued use of the language, often because they’ve been repeated so frequently that they become automatic. And here’s the catch: Level 4 proficiency demands not just fluency, but accuracy—a level of precision that fossilized habits simply can’t support. The late Boris Shekhtman, a revered Foreign Service Institute instructor and author of How to Improve Your Foreign Language Immediately , was a master at helping learners break free from this linguistic quicksand. He coined the term “self-drilling” to describe how learners inadvertently reinforce errors through repetition. His solution? Drill correct forms two to thr...

  Continuing the topic of the barrier that some (many) language learners experience between ILR Levels 3 and 4, I would point to linguistic fossilization as a critical one. There are several reasons/explanations for linguistic fossilization. One of those is when learners develop high levels of communicative competence at low levels of proficiency (particularly at the lower reaches of ILR 3/Professional Proficiency).  Achieving Advanced Professions Proficiency/ILR, what is commonly called near-native foreign language proficiency, requires sophistication of expression, i.e. le mot just, precision, and lack of the need to circumlocute. Circumlocution and other compensatory strategies are great at Level 3 and below. They allow the language learner to communicate easily with a native speaker. They often brag that they are complimented on their proficiency (an overt sign that they are only at Level 3 since near-native speakers do not get so complimented--they are not recognized as f...