Contrastive Linguistics From Contrastive Analysis to Interlanguage Angelika Isaak Contrastive Analysis Hypothesis ● expectation that learners will have less difficulty acquiring target language patterns that are simi- lar to those of the L1 than those that are diffe- rent ● L1 = L2 > easier L1 ≠ L2 > harder Contrastive Analysis Hypothesis ● Errors are the result of language transfer (interference from L1) ● Errors are bi-directional – Differences between languages result in the same errors / difficulties for learners (=parallel linguistic features) But: ● Some errors are related to the intrinsic difficulty of language – Shared by learners with different L1 backgrounds (uniform errors irrespective of L1) – Remarkably similar to errors made in L1 Acquisition e.g. use of a regular {-ed} past tense ending on an irregular verb And: ● Some errors are uni-lateral e.g. English – French: position of direct pronoun objects (predicted errors) - E>F: *le chien mange le (high probability) - F>E: [*the dog it eats] (lower probability) Language transfer ● Language learners have intuitions about which language features they can transfer from L1 to TL – Most learners (advanced) don't translate idiomatic or metaphorical expressions Error Analysis ● Many aspects of learners language could not be explained by CAH ● Errors were analyzed with a different approach ● Error analysis involved detailed description and analysis of the kind of errors L2 learners make ● Goal: discover what the learner knows about TL ● Important difference to contrastive analysis: no predicting but discovering / describing of errors Interlanguage Hypothesis ● Learners' developing L2 knowledge: language intermediate between L1 and TL ● Independent linguistic system with characteristics from L1 (... Ln) and TL and general IL characteristics (omission of function words / grammatical morphemes) ● Systematic and dynamic IL vs L1Acquisition ● Language transfer – Learner is active ● Transfer of training – Influence of teaching ● Strategies of L2 learning – Simplification / fundamental elements ● Strategies of L2 communication – Focus on meaning ● Overgeneralization of L2 rules Interlanguage ● Backsliding: features of earlier stage of IL under certain circumstances ● Fossilization: features in IL stop changing – Different levels of language structure may be differently fossilized e.g. phonology is fossilized from a greater distance from TL norms than syntax (adult learners ) Fossilizationn ● The majority of adult learners never achieve complete mastery of TL – Not just the inability to learn, lack of practice or lack of motivation – IL might start to fossilize once the learner's interactive needs are satisfied: ● communication needs (exchange of information) ● sociocultural needs (identification with target society) Stages of Interlanguage ● Pre-systematic stage – Random errors, experimentation, uninformed guessing ● Emergent stage – Internalization of rules ● Systematic stage – Consistent, closer to TL norms ● Postsystematic stage – stabilization .