Contrastive Linguistics History, Philosophy and Methodology

"The present volume stands out as one of the most comprehensive surveys of the history of contrastive linguistics, quite possibly the most comprehensive one published to date. The width and depth of Pan and Tham's knowledge and understanding of the theoretical and methodological issues associated with contrastive linguistics scholarship on a global scale is nothing short of astonishing and truly praiseworthy. Such a volume was no doubt long overdue, but the fact that it appeared in 2007, the year in which contrastivists the world over celebrated the 50th anniversary of the publication of the charter of contrastive linguistics, Lado's Linguistics across cultures, is eminently significant. It is a momentous occasion for all involved in contrastive linguistics research to reflect upon the results obtained through the implementation of various models of contrastive analysis, observe them and reinterpret in a wider context, get a better, more profound grasp of the full potential of the discipline and reaffirm their commitment to carry on further research. Contrastive Linguistics: history, philosophy and methodology is not only an indispensable reference tool to a range of specialists - theoretical and applied linguists of various provenance - but also a valuable contribution to the modern history of language research. The authors should be congratulated on a truly remarkable achievement, persuasively reinstating the relevance of contrastive analysis and its theoretical and methodological apparatus within present-day linguistics." Svetlana Kurtes, University of Cambridge, UK, Linguist List "Overall, the book is the first attempt to bring history, philosophy and methodology together to broaden the view of contrastive linguistics...Besides the academic merit, commendably, it is also the first time that Chinese scholars have presented achievements in contrastive linguistics research to the world through their careful observation, diligent thought and lucid exposition." Languages in Contrast 9:2