English as a Bridge: An L3-Approach to Contrastive Linguistics

Contrastive Analysis has to be understood as a micro-typology able to attain a degree of granularity which is far beyond any macro-typological research. In this regard, given its role as ‘global language’, English will be fruitful for the purposes of Contrastive Analysis and its didactic implications insofar as it will serve as a bridge language for a micro-typology in which it is systematically contrasted trilaterally with Italian and German. In particular, the chapter will focus on two case studies taken respectively from the temporal-aspectual domain, and the morphosyntax of subjects and objects.