WHAT IS

CONTRASTIVE
ANALYSIS?
Definition and scope
⦿ Speakers intuitively compare the
languages which they use;
⦿ We find differences and similarities ;
⦿ We establish relative difficulty and the
problems caused by the similarities and
differences between the languages ;
⦿ We even tend to explain the
differences .
⦿ Although sometimes conscious, such
contrastive efforts are intuitive and non-
systematic.
⦿ “Contrastive linguistics is the systematic
comparison of two or more languages ,
with the aim of describing their similarities
and differences” (Johansson: 2000)
⦿ Contrastive linguistics is not a unified field
of study
⦿ Contrastive linguistics comprises three
approaches, or rather three subdisciplines :
⦿ Contrastive analysis: systematic, synchronic
comparison of two languages aiming at
establishing explicit similarities and
differences expressed in terms of
correspondence and equivalence between
the elements of those languages .
⦿ Theory of translation: systematic establishing
of equivalence between two texts
⦿ Error analysis: identifies errors in FL
students’ linguistic output and aims at
providing explanation for their occurrence.
⦿ All three disciplines are complementary:

TT
CA

CL

EA
⦿ Contrastive analysis is probably the most
comprehensive of all three, owing to its
applied, pedagogical aims;
⦿ By identifiying similarities and differences,
CA PREDICTS possible points of difficulty
for the FL learner;
⦿ Relative to the process of learning, the
order of disciplines differs - CA takes
place BEFORE (a priori) and EA AFTER (a
posteriori) the learning process
CA and other linguistic disciplines
Depending on the approach to language
research and the interest for language as
phenomenon we may distinguish between:
⦿Micro disciplines
● Language is viewed in isolation, per se;
⦿Macro disciplines
● Language is viewed relative to its surrounding
realities (social, psychological, cultural, neural,
cognitive, etc): sociolinguistics,
psycholinguistics, ethnolinguistics,
neurolinguistics, cognitive linguistics.
Feedback relation between disciplines:
⦿General linguistics provides linguistic theories and
models which are applied in descriptive linguistics
⦿Descriptive linguistics provides language
descriptions, necessary for contrastive analyses
⦿Contrastive analysis provides data otherwise hardly
available; contributes back to the theory of language
universals and linguistic typology, i.e. general
linguistics