CONTRASTIVE ANALYSIS
It is the systematic study of a pair of language with identifying their structural differences and
similarities. CA was used in the field of SLA. In the 1960s and early 1970s as a method of
explaining why some features of a TL were more difficult to acquire than others. Language
learning was a question of habit formation; therefore, the difficulty in mastering certain
structures in a L2, depended on the differences between the leaner’s mother language (L1)
and the language they were trying to learn. CAH was formulated by Robert Lado. He claimed
that those elements which are similar to native language will be simple, and the different ones
will be difficult. CA along with Behaviorism and Structuralism exerted a profound effect on
language teacher education. In its strongest formulation the CAH claimed that all the errors
made in learning L2 could be attributed to interference by the L1. However, this claim could
not be sustained by empirical evidence that was accumulated. It was soon pointed out that
many errors predicted by CA were not observed in learner’s language. Some errors were made
by learners irrespective of their L1. CA could not predict all learning difficulties.