Abstract
The paper is to investigate the role of social factors that influence the fossilization of learners' interlanguage. In this context, "fossilization" refers to the stopping in the acquisition of a second language (L2) short of native-like proficiency(Towell and Hawkins, 1994). The paper begins with Wolfson's (1989) overview of social settings that influence the fossilization of learners' interlanguage and Ellis (2005) discussion of the impact of social factors on L2 proficiency evidenced with a local example by Wright (1996). Next, Schumann (1986) Acculturation Model for the contribution of social factors to the fossilization of interlanguage is presented and critically evaluated. Following this, the distinction between indigenized varieties of a language and fossilized interlanguage is clearly defined and compared. Finally, a number of conclusions are drawn with regard to the way and effect of social factors on fossilization in L2 acquisition.