ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the early work on second language learning and issues related to this early period stemming from psychology and linguistics. It also discusses a prevalent second language acquisition means of dealing with errors, namely, contrastive analysis, that is put into context together with its shortcomings. These criticisms led to error analysis, which was the beginning of what might be called a transition period. The native language has one form, whereas the target language has two. According to this view, an English speaker learning Italian (or Spanish or French) would find the translation equivalent of the verb to know difficult because, in Italian, there are two possibilities: sapere, meaning to know a fact, to have knowledge of something, or to know how to do something; and conoscere, meaning to be familiar or acquainted with someone. One of the criticisms of error analysis was directed at its total reliance on errors, to the exclusion of other information.
