36 Questions
What is the phenomenon known as false friends in linguistics?
False friends is a phenomenon in linguistics where words in different languages might look or sound similar but have different meanings.
What is a cognate?
A cognate is a word that has the same meaning and looks similar in two different languages.
Provide an example of a cognate.
Different and diferente share the same Latin cognate “differre” which means to set apart.
What are chance false friends?
Chance false friends are words that share the same form but have different etymologies and different meanings in different languages.
What are semantic false friends?
Semantic false friends are words that have the same etymological origin, but their meanings differ in different languages.
What are the links between the meanings of semantic false friends in different languages based on?
The links between the meanings of semantic false friends in different languages can be based on metaphor, metonymy, euphemism, specialisation, and generalisation.
What are semantic false friends considered to be?
Semantic false friends are considered to be cross-linguistic equivalents to polysemous words in a single natural language.
What are semantic false friends the result of?
Semantic false friends are the semantic relics of pragmatic language use over time and space.
What are the differences between semantic false friends and chance false friends?
Semantic false friends have the same etymological origin, but their meanings differ in different languages, while chance false friends have different etymologies and meanings in different languages.
Semantics helps us to understand a phenomenon known as _____ friends which occurs across the words in different languages that might or might not have the same etymological origin.
false
A _____ is a word that looks and means the same thing in English and a student's native language.
cognate
Different and diferente share the same Latin cognate 'differre' which means to set apart. They are an example of _____ friends.
true
_____ false friends have the same etymological origin, their meanings differ in different language, but one can still detect semantic relations between them.
Semantic
Chance false friends share the same form but have different etymologies and different meanings in different languages. They can be compared to _____ in a single natural language.
homonyms
Semantic false friends are the semantic relics of _____ language use over time and space.
pragmatic
The links between the meanings of semantic false friends in different languages can be based on metaphor, metonymy, euphemism, but also on _____ and generalisation.
specialisation
Semantic false friends can be considered to be cross-linguistic equivalents to _____ words in a single natural language.
polysemous
Both English comprehensive and Spanish comprensivo are derived from Latin comprehendere but they underwent semantic change in both languages. They are an example of _____ false friends.
semantic
Semantic false friends always have the same etymological origin in different languages.
False
Cognates are words that have different meanings in English and a student's native language.
False
The meanings of chance false friends can be linked through metaphor and metonymy.
True
Semantic false friends are a result of pragmatic language use over time and space.
True
Chance false friends can be compared to homonyms in a single natural language.
True
The meanings of semantic false friends in different languages can only be linked through metaphor.
False
Semantic false friends are considered to be polysemous words in a single natural language.
False
The meanings of semantic false friends in different languages can be linked through euphemism.
True
Semantic false friends occur only in languages with the same etymological origin.
False
What is the difference between chance false friends and semantic false friends?
Semantic false friends have the same etymological origin, while chance false friends do not.
What is a cognate?
A word that looks and means the same thing in English and a student's native language.
What are the links between the meanings of semantic false friends in different languages based on?
Metaphor, metonymy, euphemism, specialisation, and generalisation
What are chance false friends?
Words that have the same form but different meanings in different languages.
What are semantic false friends considered to be?
Polysemous words in a single natural language
What is the phenomenon known as false friends in linguistics?
Words in different languages that might or might not have the same etymological origin but have similar meanings.
What are semantic false friends?
Words that have the same form but different meanings in different languages.
What are the meanings of semantic false friends in different languages linked through?
Metaphor, metonymy, euphemism, specialisation, and generalisation
What are semantic false friends the semantic relics of?
Pragmatic language use over time and space
Study Notes
False Friends in Linguistics
- False friends in linguistics refer to words that are similar in both form and meaning in different languages, but have different meanings.
Cognates
- A cognate is a word that looks and means the same thing in English and a student's native language.
- Cognates share the same etymological origin.
Example of Cognates
- Different and diferente share the same Latin cognate 'differre', meaning to set apart.
Chance False Friends
- Chance false friends share the same form but have different etymologies and different meanings in different languages.
- They can be compared to homonyms in a single natural language.
Semantic False Friends
- Semantic false friends have the same etymological origin, but their meanings differ in different languages.
- One can still detect semantic relations between them.
- They are considered to be cross-linguistic equivalents to polysemous words in a single natural language.
- They are the result of language use over time and space.
- The links between the meanings of semantic false friends in different languages can be based on metaphor, metonymy, euphemism, and generalization.
Differences between Semantic False Friends and Chance False Friends
- Semantic false friends have the same etymological origin, whereas chance false friends have different etymologies.
- Semantic false friends have semantic relations between them, whereas chance false friends do not.
Characteristics of Semantic False Friends
- They are the semantic relics of language use over time and space.
- Examples include English comprehensive and Spanish comprensivo, which are derived from Latin comprehendere but underwent semantic change in both languages.
Test your knowledge on false friends and cognates in different languages with this quiz on semantics. Identify which words share the same etymological origin and which ones are simply chance false friends. Improve your language skills and broaden your understanding of the complexities of language through this quiz.
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