False friend
As a false friend is called a pair of a foreign-language word and a word of the native language, which is similar in writing or pronunciation, but in the meaning differs significantly. False friends are among the translation difficulties and interference errors and lead to erroneous translation.
Etymology
It is to pairs of words or phrases of two languages that are orthographically or phonetically similar but have different meanings. Also note correspondences between two dialects of the same language or between a dialect and the standard language are regarded as false friends. The words may be related either origin, but have evolved differently (eg through Pejoration in only one of the two languages), or have a purely random similarity. In related languages ( high German and Dutch), or those that have long been in relatively close contact with each other ( German and French) or was it, as well as in cases where dialects play a role, false friends are much more common than in unrelated languages ( German and Japanese). In the latter, one usually also is taking similar words automatically assume that it is a coincidence, so that the problem does not even created.
In addition, words are often referred to as "false friends" who seem like ordinary foreign or loan words, but in their supposed origin of language or no other meanings (example: Mobile phone in English means no mobile phone, but handy, useful, efficient, sent ). Such words are more correct than Pseudoentlehnung, or depending on the language as Scheinanglizismus, Scheingallizismus and so designated.
In addition to the just described interlingual (in terms of two languages) false friends still exist intralingual ( within language ). Intralingual false friends or conjugates are: antiseptique - aseptique, amoral - immoral.
Types of false friends
Cartagena / Gauger distinguish six types of false friends.
Annette Kroschewski put 2000 a differentiated classification proposal:
- Orthographic " false friends "
- Phonological " false friends "
- Morphological " false friends "
- Semantic " false friends " Candid half (partial ) " false friends "
- Dishonest ( absolute ) " false friends "
- " False friends " as a pseudo - anglicisms
- Diachronic " false friends "
- Synchronic " false friends " Register Conditional " false friends "
- British English / American English: " Anglo - American false friends"
Former false friends
With frequent and durable misuse a word but can also take on the original meaning of the other language, and the Wrong Boyfriend translation is standard: For example, " realize " what the Germans until recently only the meaning " realize, realize, "had now at least as frequent in the sense of" perceive, notice, discern " ( engl. to realize / REALISE ) used. This meaning is now also recognized by the publisher Duden dictionary.
Well-known examples
A well-known example is the English word become, which means the Germans do not " get " but " will" or " ( someone ) stand to shame " (composed of the prefix be - about "come" " at " and come ).
False friends can also lead to the shifting meaning of words. This mechanism explains the semasiology. Thus, the translation of self -consciousness lead to an erroneous identification with self-esteem and self-confidence; in English usage is therefore more likely (internal ) uncertainty (self uncertainty) and bias meant ( embarrassment, shyness ).
Other examples from English
The list of false friends contains extensive examples of false friends of English and other languages. Below are some examples from the English language, which are widely mistranslated.
There is often in the meanings still points of contact, so that there may be individual cases in which the error would not seriously affect.
False Friends by exaggerated literal translation
False friends by translating individual word components
Dutch false friends
Due to the close relationship with the Germans, the Dutch language has a particularly large and conspicuous false friends.
- German / Dutch - A very detailed overview of false friends with translations
False friends in other languages
An example of false friends within the Slavic linguistic area is the month name Listopad: It refers to the month of October in Croatian, Polish and Czech in contrast November.
In Romanian "Cheers " means something like " stupid ", which can lead to misunderstandings when socialize with each other.
False friends are the Cyrillic letters В, Н, Р, С and Х with the sound values of W, N, R, S and Ch and the Latin letters B, H, P, C and X.
While the Norwegian and the Swedish frokost frukost expected means breakfast food or breakfast, denote the Danes with frokost but lunch. Breakfast is called in Danish morgenmad. Can be misleading and the Danes in the popular hyggelig, which means cozy and not hilly.