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Contrastive linguistics (confrontative linguistics) - is a branch of linguistics which studies two or more languages irrespective of their kinship with the aim to reveal their similarities and differences on all levels of the language structure (phonological, morphological, syntactic, lexical-semantic).
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For the sake of precisenesЈ ^we consider it necessary to present this definition in Ukrainian:
Зктавне моеознавствР (контрастивна лтгвктика, конфронтативна лтгвктикР) ~ р°зды мовознавства, який вивчае dei чи быыие мое _незсР^{1ежно в}^ i'xHboi споргдненостг з метою выявления Ъснюс поЫбноР^те^ * ыдмтностей на ecix ргвнях мовноХ структуры (фонологлчн^омУ' морфологгчному, синтаксич-ному, лексико-семантичному) [^9].
According to M.P. Koc^^ernan> ^tne object of contrastive linguistics are any two or то^^е languages irrespective of their genealogical and typological ^nature- Nevertheless, the bigger differences in the structure (type) of languages are, the more vivid the contrast is, revealing of which ^{is me main} task of contrastive linguistics. Although for the linguistic s^cience to reveal the hidden peculiarities of close by their oriЈ^{in md} structure languages is of no less importance since their specif"¹⁰ features can be noticed in the majority of cases only under coji^{dluon of} their contrastive analysis [11; 12]. As far as the number ^of languages to be contrasted, the majority of linguists are oriented towards two languages. Though recently there have been appearing ^{a lot} of works devoted to the study of three and even bigger number of languages.
Contrastive research is 1аг^^е1У connected with the synchronic aspect of the language that is ditf^erent languages are contrasted at a certain time period without reg^^rding ^tne former stages of their development. Some scholars e^en believe that the contrastive linguistics is uniquely a synchronous ^one- Nevertheless languages are, and sometimes should be, contrasted in diachrony. The synchronic approach is more suitable for the Stage of the language data analysis. On the synthesis stage it, as a rulO> ^is accompanied by the diachronic approach.
What concerns the subject^{matter md} *be tasks of CL there exist two different points of view - &^от bating this discipline as a "purely" linguistic theory, closely connected with typology (K. James) [1], to the narrow practical application of contrastive works, meant to serve the needs of foreign language study (G. Nickel) [13].
Contrastive linguistics as a merely auxiliary discipline, serving for the needs of the methodology of language teaching, is considered by foreign linguistics (W. Nemser) [12]. As a second rate or auxiliary one contrastive linguistics is treated also by those scholars, who consider the aim of CL to be revealing cross-cultural similarities and differences, which further can become the basis for the typological generalizations. Such an approach limits the tasks and diminishes the status of contrastive linguistics, attaching to it a merely practical character. According to this approach CL deals largely with cataloging of cross-language similarities and differences. It is true, that CL focuses on language similarities and differences, nevertheless revealing and studying them is not the ultimate goal but the way to the deeper comprehension of language laws, including language universals. In this respect M.P. Kocherhan agrees with the foreign researcher K. James, who claims that contrastive linguistics includes features of both the "purely" theoretical and practical or applied linguistics [11; 13].
The synchronic-comparative method or contrastive / confron-tative method (according to M.P. Kocherhan these terms are considered as synonyms in Ukrainian linguistic terminology: синхронно-пор1вняльний метод, контрастивниЙ анал1з, або кон-фронтативний, з1ставний, зютавно-типолопчний анал1з тощо) gives the possibility to single out the contrastive linguistics as a separate linguistic branch. Of course, the results of such an analysis can have different ways of application, including the merely practical one. In this respect G. Nickel differentiates between the theoretical and the practical contrastive linguistics [11; 13].
According to the Ukrainian linguist M.P. Kocherhan, contrastive linguistics really aims at solving both theoretical and practical tasks.
The theoretical tasks of contrastive linguistics include the following:

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  to reveal similarities and differences in languages, the coincidence and difference by usage of language means of expression;
  
• 
  to research the characteristic for contrasted languages tendencies;
  

- to define the cross-language correspondences and lacunas;

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  to find out the reason for similarities and differences;
  
• 
  to verify the deductive universale on the material of contrasted languages.
  

The practical (linguo-didactic) tasks of contrastive linguistics are the following:
- to define the methodological relevance of similarities and
differences between the contrasted languages;

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  to establish the character of the cross-language interference;
  
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  to reveal the difficulties in the study of a foreign language;
  
• 
  to outline the frames of the application of comparison as a way to teach a foreign language;
  
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  to work out the procedure of the cross-language contrasting as a means to teach a foreign language.
  

According to the enumerated tasks there can be singled out two directions - the contrastive study of a language with the theoretical aim and the contrastive study of a language with the linguo-didactic aim. Therefore, on one hand, the contrastive research is aimed at the theoretical branch of the characterological typology, on the other - at the practical needs of translation and foreign language teaching [11; 14].
The topical tasks of contrastive linguistics include as well the research of the most general laws of divergence, revealed by the contrastive analysis. The contrastive analysis can be considered as a complete one only in the case, when language units have been analyzed in texts and different speech genres. Previously the contrastive analysis was focused on the data of the language system, that is on contrasting of separate lexemes or their groups, morphological categories and syntactic constructions, etc.; recently the sphere of contrastive analysis includes speech as well [11; 15].