Contrastive Linguistics

By: Gabriel Rise
Submitted: 2007-01-17 11:29:09
Print this article | Tell a friend | For publisher | Social Bookmarking
Rating:
 

What is contrastive linguistics? According to the definition it is an applied science of general linguistics which, in turn, is the study of language. It studies the components of language and how they behave. The study includes phonetics, the sound system; morphology, the word structure; lexicon, the vocabulary; syntax, the sentence and phrase structure; and semantics, the word and sentence meaning. It also studies pragmatics, the language use in context.

Applied Linguistics is not limited to contrastive linguistics; there are other applied sciences as well, among which is the comparative linguistics.

While comparative linguistics compares two languages of the same origin or two dialects of the same language, contrastive linguistics attempts to identify the similarities and the differences between two or more languages that come from different origins.

Comparative linguistics may compare English to German, Arabic to Hebrew, or the Old English of Beowulf to the Middle English of Chaucer. On the other hand, contrastive linguistics may explore English and Arabic in order to detect the similarity and difference of their characteristics.

There is a lot in common between English and German, as well as the Semitic languages Arabic and Hebrew. For instance, the English "My name is..." harmonizes with the German "Mein Name ist..." and the Arabic "خمسة" correspond to the Hebrew "khamaish".

There are more differences between English and Arabic than of similarities; while Arabic uses definite article with abstract nouns as in " السلام", English abstract nouns do not include neither definite nor indefinite articles as in "We must strive to achieve peace"

Contrastive linguistics assists teachers in developing course materials for language teaching and helps translators strengthen and widen their knowledge about both source language and the target language. It also helps learners of foreign language remedy and avoids the common errors arising from the influence of the mother tongue.

The more Arabic speakers studying English become aware of the differences and similarities of the two languages, the more competent English speakers and translators they will be.

Gabriel Rise has been working at essay writing service for several years.You can ask her about customer service concerning the custom essay or dissertationthat you have.

Article source: Expert Articles

Most Recent Articles in Language category

  • Growing popularity of the Chinese language - By: Praveen Sequira
    Statistics reveal that Chinese is spoken by every one in five persons all over the world. There is no field in which the Chinese people or people of Chinese origin have not made a name for themselves. Their sincerity and hardworking nature have gotten them genuine respect.
  • The advantages and disadvantages of online TEFL courses - By: Ajay Shringi
    Online TEFL courses open up amazing career opportunities for aspiring teachers in countries that are experiencing a high demand for people with English language skills. With globalization, there is increasing pressure on people to acquire excellent writing and reading English skills. In fact, mastery of language often becomes decisive when selecting people for jobs. That is why many people are desperately trying to improve their English language skills.
  • Learn How to Speak Mandarin - 13 Basic Mandarin Chinese Phrases - By: Shun Minh
    Are you interested in learning Mandarin Chinese? This article will help you decide which learn chinese course is best for you and what to look for in a chinese learning course.
  • Learn German Course - Which German Learning Course is Right for you? - By: Alex Aldridge
    Are you interested in learning German? This article will help you decide which learn german course is best for you and what to look for in a german learning course.
  • Accredited TEFL Courses - By: Ajay Shringi
    Lots of prestigious academic institutions organize accredited TEFL courses as part of their extensive English teaching programs. These programs are geared towards coping with the international demand for people equipped to teach the most widely spoken language in the world.
  • Why Learn to Speak Foreign Languages - By: David Stack
    Why should we learn another language? Today when the whole world is becoming English-speaking, I don't see any reasons for learning languages other than English. We can go anywhere in the world and communicate in English with the locals, but knowing foreign languages will take people a step forward in global communication, and it will open more opportunities in their lives
  • Why Websites Need Translation - By: Nate Rodnay
    Many Europeans can speak a little of the languages of neighboring countries. The English aren't known for their linguistic prowess. And in the continent of America, North Americans tend to be uni-lingual, speaking only English. In some cities, such as Miami where there is a large Hispanic presence, there are many bi-lingual speakers, but in general people tend to speak only English.
  • Effective Business Translation Services - By: Armando Riquier
    The Earth continues to grow smaller as more businesses and non-profit organizations set up a presence on the world wide web. Logically, the demand for quality business translation services increases. The down fall of any sort of growth is the inevitable arrival of incompetent providers desiring to take advantage of a lucrative market. What are the facts to be considered when electing a business translation service?
  • French English Translation Botches - By: Armando Riquier
    It is no wonder why many website owners are getting their sites translated into French considering that there are roughly 128 million people in the world who speak this international language. Whether the web pages are those of a not-for-profit organization or of a business engaging in e-commerce, French English translation services are useful in reaching a considerably larger group of people.
  • Technical Translation Services - What it Takes - By: Armando Riquier
    Providing effective translation services of technical documents calls for special skills and expertise.