AEMP Grade Level

Collaboratives
Module 7
Systematic Teaching of Contrastive
Analysis
Office of Curriculum, Instruction, and School Support
Language Acquisition Branch
Academic English Mastery Program

Long Range Goals of the Eight

GLC Modules:
Increase knowledge and awareness of what
authentic Culturally Relevant & Responsive
Educational (CRRE) Practices are
Build an authentic culturally relevant and
responsive learning environment that teaches to
and through the strengths of our students
Validate and affirm the legitimacy of each
students cultural and linguistic practices within
the learning process

GLC Module 7 Objectives:

To build participants knowledge base on:
What Contrastive Analysis is
Why we should do it
How it is done
Have participants demonstrate understanding of
the four techniques of Contrastive Analysis

PD Norms for Success

Participate 100% of the time
Be mindful of others
-

Put electronics on vibrate or meeting mode

- -Be respectful of others opinions

Listen with a different ear, an open mind, and a

receptive heart

Culturally Responsive Icebreaker

Linguistic Features: Categorical

Differences-Not Deficits
Because SELs are identified as English Only or Initially Fluent
English Proficient, the differences in their speech and language
are often misunderstood as errors rather than rule-governed
features.
The phonological and grammatical differences in African
American Language (AAL), Mexican American Language (MxAL),
Hawaiian American Language (HAL), and Native American
Language (NAL) represent the grammar and structure of each
particular language.
Therefore, the focus of contrastive analysis becomes a
comparative rule study or grammar study between Standard
English and the home language.

Contrastive Analysis: What is it

and How do I do it?
Contrastive Analysis is the systematic study of
a pair of languages with a view to identifying
their structural differences and similarities.
AEMP identifies four specific ways in which the
technique of contrastive analysis can be
implemented: 1) Linguistic; 2) Contextual; 3)
Elicited, and 4) Situational

Why Do It?
Contrastive Analysis vs.
Traditional English Dept. Techniques
ContrastiveAnalysis

8.5%
Traditional
Techniques

59%
Source:H.Taylor.1989.StandardEnglish,BlackEnglish,Bidialectalism

Linguistic Contrastive Analysis

Students identify characteristic features of home
language written in songs, plays, story scripts, or books
like the Shimmershine Queens, Chatos Kitchen, or Wild
Meat and Bully Burgers
Students analyze which linguistic features must be
changed to revise sentences/paragraphs to reflect
Standard English structure
Students can also engage in reverse contrastive
analysis and study which linguistic features in Standard
English must be changed to revise sentences/paragraphs
to reflect home language structure

Interactivity: Linguistic Contrastive

Analysis
Translate the following sentences lifted
from literature:
Grammatical Category-Negation
(AAL) He dont do nothin.
_________________________________
(SE) Nobody can say anything now.
_________________________________

Contextual Contrastive Analysis

The student reads or is a read a story that
is heavily embedded with Standard English
and is then required to retell the story. The
students story retelling is taped and
compared and contrasted with the language
of the text

Example: Contextual Contrastive

Analysis
Standard English paragraph from the book Downtown Boy by Juan Felipe
Herrera- Juanitos cousin encouraged him to box because he was really good
but Juanito wasnt sure because his mom and dad didnt want him to get hurt
participating in such a violent sport. He knew that he would get in trouble if his
parents found out. Juanitos cousin encouraged him to join the boxing club
anyway because Juanito was very tall and strong. Besides, the trainer was
always looking out for new talent.
Taped retelling of Downtown Boy in MxAL- It was aboutumJuanito and his
primo encourage him to do boxeen but Juanito does not want to do it cuz his
dad told him not to, cuz its violent and he just doesn-wan-do-itand his primo
wants him to do it likea lot!...And um..he..hehe umwhats that calledhe
wants umto join da boxeen clubcuz hes da tallest and strongest supposely,
so he doesn-wan do-it cuz his mom tinks he shouldnso thatsthat.

Elicited Contrastive Analysis

The teacher elicits spontaneous
verbalizations/responses from students
about material read or presented and
creates a teachable moment for
contrastive analysis

Example: Elicited Contrastive

Analysis
Teacher observes student language usage and
records their responses in a journal
Sample student utterance (AAL): If you got a
negative number and times it by another negative
number then it make the number positive.
Sample written explanation for math journaling
(Academic English): If you have a negative number
and multiply it by another negative number, then
the product will be a positive number.

Situational Contrastive Analysis

Students contrast and analyze the
mainstream and non-mainstream
versions of targeted language forms
with an emphasis on situational
appropriateness, i.e., communication,
environment, audience, purpose, and
function.

Focus on Function
Situational Appropriateness
Students take into account the intent of their
messages for various audiences & purposes
-

Students should be able to determine the type of

communication behavior most appropriate to a given situation or
audience -Students should be given an opportunity to decide
prior to a given activity, the type of communication behaviors
that would be most appropriate

Students should have opportunities to role play commonly

encountered situations and relate these situations to acceptable
language usage

Example: Situational
Appropriateness Activity
Students do a brief classroom morning news
report that simulates a television news
broadcast in Standard English
Students can analyze whether or not home
language should be utilized during certain
portions of the broadcast for certain purposes,
i.e., sports highlights, entertainment

Frequent Misconceptions
Contrastive analysis always proceeds from home language
to Standard English.
Standard English and Academic English are the same thing
Home languages have no place at school
You have to speak the students home language in order to
implement contrastive analysis
Contrastive analysis is too complex and time consuming to
be made practical

Interactivity: Contrastive
Analysis Case Scenarios
What are
the
Issues?

What are the

Recommendations?

Give an
Example

References
Cole, Lorraine. Verbal Image Enhancement-Trainers
Handbook for Dual Linguistic Instruction of African
American Children, 1991
Lemoine, N. (2001). Language Variation and Literacy
Acquisition in African American Students (p. 169194). In Harris, J., Kamhi, A. & Pollock, K. (Eds)
Literacy in African American Communities. New
Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum & Associates
Taylor, Hanni U. 1989. Standard English, Black
English, and bidialectalism. New York: Peter Lang.