Contrastive analysis

Contrastive analysis is a way of studying two different things and comparing them to see how they are similar and different from each other. Imagine you have two types of fruits, an apple and a banana. They both have different shapes, sizes, colors, and tastes. You can compare these two fruits by looking at their differences and similarities. For example, the apple is round and red, while the banana is long and yellow. The apple is sweet and crunchy, while the banana is creamy and soft.

Now let's apply this to language. When we learn a new language, we compare it to our first language. We look at how the new language is similar and different from our first language. We do this by analyzing the grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, and other aspects of the language.

For example, let's say you are learning Spanish and your first language is English. You can compare the two languages by looking at the grammar rules. In English, we use the present tense to describe things happening right now, like "I am eating dinner." In Spanish, they use the present tense differently, like "Estoy comiendo cena." This means "I am eating dinner," but it literally translates to "I am eating dinner."

By doing contrastive analysis, we can understand better how to learn a new language and avoid common mistakes that result mainly from the differences between our first and second languages.