Editor: Peter Garrett (University of Cardiff)
Review editor: Terry Shortall (University of Birmingham)
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Volume: 8 Number: 3 Page: 210–222
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The Cognitive Turn of Contrastive Analysis: Empirical Evidence
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Irit Kupferberg
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L2 learners of ten notice input which is frequent, functional and perceptually salient. Frequency, functionality and salience can be induced by instruction. One possible source of salience is contrast-dependent
teacher-induced salience which is defined via contrastive analysis. In an experiment conducted with 137 intermediate FL learners, Kupferberg and Olshtain (1996a) showed that contrastive metalinguistic input
(CMI) facilitated the acquisition of difficult target structures. The present study partially replicates this experiment to test the effect of CMI on the acquisition of grammatical aspect in English by
57 English teachers and student teachers, advanced L2 learners, who were able to recognise the structure, but avoided production. The results of the two experiments are interpreted within a cognitive framework
of L2 acquisition as an indication that the provision of CMI may enhance the production levels of difficult target structures.
© Multilingual Matters 1999
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