Contrastive Analysis of English Nominal Compounds and their Correspondents in Albanian Language: A Case Study with ESP Law Students

Abstract

Abstract Foreign language teaching applies various methods, approaches and techniques in transmitting the knowledge from instructor to learner which entails the ability to comprehend the similarities and dissimilarities between a learner's mother tongue and the foreign language. Contrastive Analysis (CA) is one of the methods which compares languages by paying attention to differences and similarities between languages being compared. This paper focuses on investigating the identities, differences and similarities of English nominal compounding patterns and their correspondents in Albanian by manner of formation and meaning through CA. Nominal compounds (N + N, V + N, Aj + N, Av + N, and V +Av =N) are the main focus in this paper since these patterns are very productive in Legal English. This paper will also pinpoint the most common errors EFL students make whilst identifying patterns of nominal compounds and translating them from English to Albanian and vice versa. Results from the data collected from English and Albanian grammar books and a test run questionnaire, showed that English and Albanian are similar in terms of N+N, Aj + N, Av + N compounds however they are different in V + N and V+ Av =N compounds by the manner of formation. Regarding meaning, there are dissimilarities between English and Albanian N + N compounds. Consequently, the most common errors made by EFL students whilst translating compounds occur with Aj + N and V + Av=N compounds. All these results give insightful indications regarding implications in teaching and learning nominal compounds in an ELT legal context.