Relevance of the study of interlanguage to teaching EFL at the tertiary level

To learn a second/foreign language, the learner takes a linguistic journey from his/her mother tongue to the target language and naturally constructs a personal linguistic system in the interim time. This individual system termed ‘interlanguage’ is a single and unique one which is yet to conform to the target language norms and evidently incorporates linguistic deficiencies or errors exhibiting the learner’s current linguistic level and implying what he/she need acquire to reach a standard of the target language. Hence, the present research has been designed to investigate and examine the relevance of the study of the interlanguage of 21 tertiary level students learning English as a foreign language (EFL). To carry out the study, an experimental group consisting of the 21 students and a control group having another 21 students of the same level have been used. Based on the findings, the researcher makes some linguistic and pedagogic recommendations.