1. plural of interlanguage; linguistic systems developed by language learners that are intermediate between their native language and the target language they are learning.
Usage: linguistics; language acquisition; academic

Examples

• Researchers study interlanguages to understand how learners gradually acquire grammatical structures.
• The interlanguages of Spanish speakers learning English often show characteristic patterns of verb conjugation errors.
• Teachers recognize that interlanguages are a natural and necessary stage in the language learning process.
• Interlanguages can persist for years if learners do not receive corrective feedback.
• Linguists analyze interlanguages to identify common developmental sequences across different learner populations.