Why does contrastive analysis exist

Alatis Ed. Nemser, William. Richards Ed. Richards, Jack C. Sridhar, N. Tarone, Elaine. Wardhaugh, Ronald. User Username Password Remember me. Abstract Abstract Contrastive Analysis, Transfer Analysis, Error Analysis, and Interlanguage are methods used for second language learning investigation. They believe that it is on these differences that the learning difficulties lie, consequently errors exist.

Transfer analysis is a new lebel given to contrastive analysis. Other sister terms are language transfer and crosslinguistic influence. This is an analytical tool which constitutes a sub discipline within error analysis.

Its basic assumption is that certain errors in learner performance are the result of native language transfer. Error Analisis disproves the predictions of theory lying behind the comparison of native language and target language. It is an experimental technique for validating the theory of transfer. Brown The starting point in the contrast is provided by actual evidence from Wardhaugh, Language transfer: i Positive transfer - where features of the L1 and the L2 match, acquisition of the L2 is facilitated.

Empirical studies have shown that foreign language learners made numerous mistakes that were not at all predicted by contrastive studies. On the other hand, mistakes that were predicted were hardly ever made by learners.

This applies, in particular, to grammar, but also — to a lesser extent — to phonetics and phonology. Their theory was based on their research of spelling errors in learners of English as L2 which showed that spelling errors were more common among those learners who used a Roman script in their native language e.

Spanish or French than among those who used a non-Roman script e. Arabic or Chinese. However, the strong version of the CAH would predict the contrary, i.

Brown concludes that interference is more likely to occur when there is similarity between the items to be learned and already known items than in the case of learning items which are entirely new to the learner.

Whitman and Jackson carried out a study in which predictions made in four separate contrastive analyses by different linguists were used to design a test of English grammar which was given to 2, Japanese learners of English as L2. After comparing the results of the test to the predictions based on the four contrastive analyses, Whitman and Jackson found out that they differed a lot.

Besides the problem of inappropriate predictions, Towel and Hawkins state two other problems. The other problem, they argue, is that only a small number of errors committed by L2 learners could be unambiguously attributed to transfer from L1.

Thus, the strong version of the CAH has been proved inadequate, except for the phonological component of language, where it is quite successful in predicting the interference between the L1 and L2 in pronunciation in the early stages of L2 acquisition.

The weak version is not satisfactory because it is only able to offer an explanation for certain errors. The only version which remains acceptable is the moderate version. Linguistic Levels of Analysis Contrastive analysis includes all fields of linguistics such as phonology, semantics, syntax, morphology and pragmatics. It even seems that contrastive studies should rather be regarded as an approach, not as a branch of general linguistics.

For instance, while Chomsky once argued that grammar is autonomous and independent of semantics , another tradition initiated by Firth claims that there is no boundary between lexis and grammar. He claims that lexis and grammar are in fact interrelated.

The emphasis given to various linguistic levels has not been the same in different linguistic theories. For instance, while the main focus in Generative Transformational Grammar is syntax, the Communicative Theory is more concerned with the pragmatic uses of language.

Procedures for Comparing Languages Contrastive analysis is based on the assumption that languages can be compared and contrasted. Scientific parallel description of the two languages has always been the core of the CA. The two languages should be described through the same linguistic model or framework. For example, if certain aspects of the grammar of L1 are described through Generative-Transformational Grammar, the same model for the description of L2 should be applied as well.

Linguistic features of the two languages are compared on three levels: form, meaning, and distribution of forms. Similarities and differences found through the comparison of the two languages should be judged to see if they are problematic for the learners or not.

Predictions are made through the formulation of a hierarchy of difficulty section 1. Hierarchy of Difficulty Several attempts were made to formalize the prediction stage of contrastive analysis to avoid the subjectivity involved in CA. One of the best known was a hierarchy of difficulty Stockwell, Bowen, and Martin by means of which it was possible to make a prediction of the relative difficulty of a given aspect of the second language.

The first such hierarchy was devised for English and Spanish, but it was claimed to be universally applicable.

Stockwell and his associates suggested 8 possible degrees of difficulty for phonological systems. These degrees were based upon the notions of: - Transfer positive, negative, and zero - Optional and obligatory choices of certain phonemes in the languages in contrast The result: Applied linguists were able to derive a reasonably accurate inventory of phonological difficulties that a second language learner would encounter.

Stockwell, R. The grammatical structure of English and Spanish. Chicago: university of Chicago press. International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 8 2 , — Whitman, R. Yang, S. The impact of the absence of grammatical tense in L1 on the acquisition of the tense-aspect system in L2. Published: Dec 13, In this line, the present research is trying to shed light on the concept of contrastive analysis hypothesis by focusing on the background and origins of the concept, then the procedures and its different versions.

Also, the current study will discuss the differences and similarities exist in the phonology and syntax of two languages, namely Persian and English in order to be able to find the areas of possible difficulty for L2 learners of English.

References Ahmadvand, M. New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Wilson. The transfer of learning. New York: MacMillan. Is second language learning like the first? Tesol Quarterly, 8, James, c. Contrastive Analysis. UK: Longman.