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Contrastive Analysis Hypothesis

Contrastive analysis compares two languages by analyzing their differences and similarities. It was useful for retrospectively explaining learner errors, though it could not predict all difficulties. The new contrastive analysis hypothesis proposes that the more different a second language is from one's first, the easier it is to learn. Contrastive analysis is useful for studying pronunciation differences that may cause interference. However, it is an unrealistic way to predict errors, and other factors besides the first language also influence second language learning. Contrastive analysis can help teachers plan courses and materials by identifying areas where the languages differ.

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Kantawit Boom
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319 views

Contrastive Analysis Hypothesis

Contrastive analysis compares two languages by analyzing their differences and similarities. It was useful for retrospectively explaining learner errors, though it could not predict all difficulties. The new contrastive analysis hypothesis proposes that the more different a second language is from one's first, the easier it is to learn. Contrastive analysis is useful for studying pronunciation differences that may cause interference. However, it is an unrealistic way to predict errors, and other factors besides the first language also influence second language learning. Contrastive analysis can help teachers plan courses and materials by identifying areas where the languages differ.

Uploaded by

Kantawit Boom
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Criticism

Contrastive Analysis means the comparison of two languages by


paying attention to differences and similarities between languages being
compared. Teachers have successfully used the best linguistic knowledge
available in order to account for observed difficulties in second language
learning.
Contrastive Analysis could not predict all learning difficulties, but it
was certainly useful in the retrospective explanation of errors. Moreover,
many errors predicted by Contrastive Analysis were inexplicably not
observed in learners' language and some uniform errors were made by
learners irrespective of their L1.
The new Contrastive Analysis hypothesis hypothesizes that the
more different is the L2 with one's L1, the easier it is for him/her to learn
the target language. This prediction is predicated on the premise that
similarities in languages create confusion for learners.

Pros
CAH is good for studying pronunciation and phonological
interference
CAH is good for understanding and analyzing a students problem
CAH gives a fundamental clue to understand and find a way to
correct the pronunciation error
Students can better realize which of their native language speech
habits can be transferred to the new language through an
awareness of the differences between the two languages.
Teachers were familiar with the significant differences between the
English sound system and their students habitually use it. Teachers
helped students acquire a pronunciation acceptable and
comprehensible to native speaker.
Many experience teachers still cannot reject CAH

Cons
The structure of language is infinite.
Therefore, the assumption that language can be compared lost
ground because it is impossible to categorize the infinite structure.
Errors in L2 acquisition do not only arise from interference.
The structural differences between two languages are not sufficient
to predict the occurrence of errors in L2 acquisition.
CAH is quite unrealistic and impracticable.
CAH is the lack of any satisfactory objective measure of similarity or
difference. Even though we have a satisfactory measure of
difference, it is unclear how we would predict degrees of difficulty
with any accuracy.

Interference from the L1 is not the sole source of error inL2


learning. It is only a chief source.
The native language could play a role, but other factors such as
environment, learning strategies by the student, motivation to learn
the second language, etc all play a role in learning.
The CAH has been proved inadequate, except for the phonological
component of language

Application
The teaching method which used the CAH as its theory of learning
was the audio-lingual method. CA was strictly teacher centered which
goes against the preference of student centered classrooms today. In
teaching and learning English as second language, contrastive analysis is
really helpful for both the teachers and the students, because we will
know the differences and similarities between source language (L1) and
target language (L2).
Therefore, it is easy for us to learn and adjust to the target
language. So that, we do not incorporate the system of our source
language to the target language, because each language has distinct
system. The CAH benefit for teachers to;
1. Planning of the courses
Example: In groups, do a contrastive analysis of English with another
language. Include contrasts for each of the topic areas we have
discussed: sound system and pronunciation.
2. Improve of classroom techniques
Bottom-up approach
Do a contrastive analysis by starting off with the phonetics of letters,
then sound out words. Reading sentences can give the student a solid
foundation.
3. Prepare teaching material
Similarity
A pattern of sentences in both English and Thai such as subject +
transitive verb
Differences
The verbs and the subjects in English are changed according to
tenses

Adding Auxiliaries Do, Does, and Did Not in a negative sentence


depend on the subject. While in Indonesian language is only added
the word in negative sentences.
3.1 Phonology
Phonology is the study of sounds distribution in a language and the
interaction between those different sounds. The aim of contrastive
phonology is to contrast the phonetic sets of both languages and establish
the differences

Examples:
a

badminton

aluminium

Chicago

Asia

football

The lecturer who teaches this lesson to pay attention more, because
it is an important thing that should be known by the target language
learners. However, CAH cannot work alone. For the sake of the language
learners, these analyses should be worked hand in hand in order to
improve the quality of the target language learners.
Disadvantage: Teachers did not know that languages of their students
and, and could not do extensive contrastive analyses.

References
Ahmed, Istiaque. 2006. Contrastive Analysis of Teaching Methods
Implemented in Schools of Dhaka. Thesis. BRAC university, Dhaka.
Bangladesh.
Lado, Robert. 1968. Linguistic Across Culture: Applied Lingustic for
Language Teacher. An Arbor: University of Michigan Press.
The Application of Contrastive Analysis in the Classroom
JUNE 1, 2012 BY UMMHY

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