= 161. 2*362 (075. 8) К211 ббк [81. 2-2 Англ + 81. 2-2 Укр] я 73

32
33

8. Contrastive linguistics as a science and an academic
discipline: its subject matter and tasks
Contrastive linguistics (CL) (other terms confrontative and comparative linguistics) as a language discipline was formed on the basis of typology studies in the middle of the XX-th century and has been intensively developing since 50-ies of the XX-th century. The aim of CL is the comparative study of two, less often more than two languages, in order to find out their similarities and differences on all levels of the language structure. The early sources of CL can be regarded as investigation of differences in grammars, published in different countries (especially actively in countries of Western Europe) and the works on the typological comparison of non-related languages, carried out in connection with tasks of the typological classification of languages. As a rule, CL deals with materials on the synchronic level of the language. From the point of view of quantity, investigations concerning different levels of language are distributed not equally: the biggest part of research works is devoted to the contrastive grammar (including word formation), the less number is devoted to the contrastive phonology, and still smaller number - to works in contrasting lexical systems.
Singling out of CL from the large sphere of comparative studies of different languages was caused by holding of special conferences, devoted to contrastive studies (the first one took place in George­town, the USA, in 1968), as well as including the CL problem issues into the program of international linguistic congresses since the year 1972. The birth of CL is believed to be connected with appearance of the work "Linguistics across cultures" by Robert Lado in 1957 (Ладо Р. Лшгвютика поверх кордошв культур). But it should be mentioned that works by Ukrainian and Russian scholars (the end of the XLX-th - the beg. of XX-th centuries) abounded in rich materials of contrastive language studies, though being closer to typological studies: works by O.O.Potebnja, Boduen de Courtene, L.Shcherba and others.
CL research of the second half of the XX-th century, especially contrastive grammar research, was enriched by works of the
34
outstanding Ukrainian scholar Yurij Oleksijovych Zhluktenko (1915-1990). Yu.O.Zhluktenko is the author of a series of contrastive works of English, German, Ukrainian languages. His work "A Comparative Grammar of English and Ukrainian" (published in 1960) [5] is to be mentioned in this regard. A lot of interesting and original ideas within the field of contrastive linguistics is presented in his generally theoretical articles "Contrastive analysis as a method of language research" [3], "Some issues of the contrastive analysis of languages" [4], "Contrastive linguistics: problems and perspectives (with the co­author V.N. Bublyk) [6]. Under his editorship there were published such collective research works as: "Notes on contrastive linguistics" [3], "Contrastive studies on the grammar of English, Ukrainian, and Russian languages" [14]. Yu.O.Zhluktenko can rightly be considered as the initiator of contrastive linguistics development.
Recent period in contrastive studies is marked by such an important work concerning contrastive and typological language research as the "Contrastive typology of the English and Ukrainian languages" by the prominent Ukrainian linguist Ilko Vakulovych Korunets' (published in 2003) [10]. Since a lot of works in contrastive linguistics are tending to be of typological character, it is obvious that the place of CL among other linguistic disciplines still should be specified. This statement can be found in the work of another outstanding Ukrainian scholar Mykhajlo Petrovych Kocherhan "Fundamentals of contrastive linguistics" ("Основи зютавного мовознавства") published in 2006 [11]. His textbook is devoted to such issues of contrastive linguistics as: general issues of contrastive linguistics; contrastive phonetics and phonology; contrastive derivatology and grammar; contrastive lexicology and phraseology. In the textbook M.P. Kocherhan presents his understanding of contrastive linguistics as a discipline on the modern stage of linguistic theory development, namely: