The Psychological Basis of CA

Niz, EvelynRobles, GisellaVilla, Gabriela

Contrastive Analysis

Hybrid drawing between

Psychology Linguistics

Learning processes Formal properties

of languageTransfer

approaches

Behaviourism Cognitivism *S-R Theory *Cross

Association*Ignorance Hypothesis

Transfer TheoryEllis: “The hypothesis that the learning

of language 1 will affect the subsequent learning of language 2.”

InterferenceWeinreich: “Those instances of

deviation from the norms of either language as a result of the speaker’s

familiarity with more than one language.”

Contrastive Analysis

Hybrid drawing between

Psychology Linguistics

Learning processes Formal properties

of languageTransfer

approaches

Behaviourism Cognitivism *S-R Theory *Cross

Association*Ignorance Hypothesis

Behaviourism Associationism is the idea that

mental processes operate by the association of one entity with

another.

In the process of learning, the entities that are associated are a Stimulus

and a Response.

The Stimulus-Response Theory is based in the reception of stimuli

(linguistic/non-linguistic/pre-linguistic), which leads to the

production of responses, either natural or learnt (linguistics/non-

linguistics).

Problems in defining S-R in language 2 learning

1) Learners don’t have to learn the responses but

their associations with a particular Stimulus.S: Yes/No questions

R: Yes, I do / No, I don’t

2) CA is more concerned with teaching rather than learning

S: EmphasisR: It was JOHN who did it!

S: Subordination expressing ConditionR: I’ll be mad if you don’t come to the party with us.

3) *Jackobovits and BloomfieldS Pre-linguistic definition: The environmental

conditions that are antecedent to linguistic utterances.

S: Anger (Pre-linguistic)R: Why did you do that to me?! (Linguistic) S R: I’m sorry (linguistic)

*RichterichS Communicative Need which is prior to the

interactionS: Happiness (Communicative Need)R: I passed my exam!! (Linguistic) S R: Congratulations! (linguistic)

4) CA is more interested in form rather than substanceS: Where have you been?R: Pronoun + auxiliary + verb + preposition + (determiner) noun(I + have + been + at + home / I + have + been + in + the park /

I + have + been + in + his house)

Contrastive Analysis

Hybrid drawing between

Psychology Linguistics

Learning processes Formal properties

of languageTransfer

approaches

Behaviourism Cognitivism *S-R Theory *Cross

Association*Ignorance Hypothesis

Cognitivism

Cross-Association H.V. George (1972)Cross-association implies what is usually meant by

mother-tongue interference.George REDUNDANCY: A type of interference which

occurs when one term with different associations in L1 splits up in different terms in L2 producing errors

in the transference.Meet:1) to get to know for the first time Conocer

2) to come together by chance or arrangement Encontrarse con

*Emma encontró a Peter en 1998.

Tocar: 1) Hacer sonar un instrumento To Play2) Entrar en contacto con un objeto o una superficie

To Touch

*Lilly used to touch the guitar very well.

Querer:1) Amar, tener cariño a una persona o cosa To Love2) Desear, anhelar algo To want

*Sally wants her children very much.

Ignorance Hypothesis Newmark and Reibel (1968)The L2 learner may want to say something he doesn’t

yet know how to say in the L2 and uses whatever means at disposal.

Selinker Ignorance as a precondition for learning as well as a precondition for Interference.

IGNORANCE: The learner realizes he has no linguistic competence with regard to some aspect of L2.

INTERFERENCE: It predicts that if a learner is called upon to produce some L2 form he hasn’t yet learnt, he will tend to produce an erroneous form having

its origin in L1.However, ignorance and interference refer to different phenomena and therefore, one doesn’t

necessarily imply the other.

*Ignorance without interference:Avoidance Strategy: Learners who have

experienced difficulty in using some L2 structure will prefer to avoid it by using paraphrasing or

some near equivalent.E.g. Tag questions, phrasal verbs, collocations

*Interference without ignorance:Even though there is no longer ignorance about a

certain structure, mistakes can still be made.E.g. People is, news are, I’m looking forward to see

you

Weaknesses associated with ignorance hypothesisKellerman (1977)*Ignorance by self evaluation implies a personal

auto-evaluation in which the learner finds out he lacks a certain L2 feature and therefore he feels incapable of producing it.

* Different L1 learners may have the same ignorance of a L2 structure; however, it doesn’t imply committing the same mistakes.

L2 (English) Structure: Where do you come from? / Where are you from?

L1 Russian Speaker: откуда вы? (Lit. Where you from?)L1 Spanish Speaker: ¿De donde es usted? (Lit. From where are you?)

* Learners cannot be asked to perform specific L2 items before being given access and exposure to them.

Krashen

distinction

Acquisition Learning

learning process which implies teaching

takes place in a naturalsetting without tutoredinstruction.

Activities

It is the idea that mental processes operate by the association of one entity with another. (associationism)

Process by which an erroneous transference is produced as a result of one term splitting up in more terms in the other language. (redundancy)

The S-R Theory is dealt with within - - - - - - - - - - - -. (behaviourism) Name that Richterich gives to the stimulus. (communicative need) Cross-association and Ignorance Hypothesis are dealt with within -

- - - - - - - - - -. (cognitivism) Main concern of contrastive analysis in language behaviour. (form) Hypothesis that explains L2 errors. (ignorance hypothesis) It implies what is usually meant by Mother Tongue interference.

(cross association)

Thank you all!!