On corpus-based contrastive linguistics and language pedagogy: Reimagining applications for contemporary English language teaching

Contrastive linguistics and language pedagogy have a complex past. While early work in contrastive analysis was specifically conducted to support the development of research-informed language pedagogies, it was to be replaced by the fields of error analysis and interlanguage studies, given its shortcomings in effectively predicting language errors. In the years that followed, the role of contrastive analysis in language pedagogy became peripheral. However, given that the current face of ELT has transformed greatly from the ELT of the 1950s and 1960s, there is value in reconsidering the role of corpus-based contrastive linguistics in contemporary language teaching. This chapter does so by proposing a theoretical model that draws synergies between core constructs in corpus-based contrastive linguistics (the Multilingual, the Multicultural, and the Specialised) and key challenges in contemporary ELT (plurilinguistic competencies; Global citizenship in ELT; and specialised discourses and language for specific purposes - LSP - in ELT) with a view to reimagining the relevance of corpus-based contrastive linguistics to ELT. Overall, the chapter proposes a dialectical approach, underpinned by corpus linguistic approaches, which makes clear the affordances of contrastive analysis for supporting learners’ plurilinguistic competencies, for developing interculturally and globally situated learners, and for facilitating the teaching of specialised discourses in the English language classroom.