FROM OVERGENERALIZATION TO FOSSILIZATION: INTRALINGUAL ERRORS IN PAKISTANI LEARNERS’ ENGLISH WRITING

Abstract

This study examines the intralingual errors that characterize Pakistani learners’ English writing, focusing on the twin processes of overgeneralization and fossilization. Despite years of exposure to English as a second language, many Pakistani students continue to produce recurring grammatical inaccuracies that reveal developmental patterns within their interlanguage. Drawing on the framework of Error Analysis and the concept of Interlanguage, the study analyzes a corpus of essays written by undergraduate students. Errors were classified into key intralingual categories: verb tense and aspect, pluralization, article misuse, comparative/superlative redundancy, and subject–verb agreement. Findings indicate that overgeneralization, the learners’ tendency to extend linguistic rules beyond their appropriate limits (e.g., buyed, childrens, most wisest), is the most prevalent cause of grammatical inaccuracy. Over time, many of these erroneous forms become fossilized, persisting despite further instruction or feedback. This stabilization of incorrect patterns reflects a plateau in learners’ grammatical development, suggesting that fossilization has become a barrier to advanced proficiency. The study concludes that intralingual errors are not random but systematic reflections of how learners internalize English grammar. It recommends pedagogical interventions emphasizing awareness-raising, corrective feedback, and remedial grammar tasks to counter fossilization and encourage grammatical refinement in Pakistani English classrooms.