bdlngton Posted September 19, 2019 Report Share Posted September 19, 2019 22 hours ago, slainte39 said: Isn´t that more like what is called a "false friend" rather than a "false cognate"? Like the adjective "embarazada" and "embarrassed" which is commonly misunderstood around here. Also "parientes" and "parents". As a former language teacher, I tend to use the tern "false cognate," but I don't think there is a difference between a "false cognate" and a "false friend.". Maybe the term "false friend" is more easily understood by people as the word "cognate" might be a more technical linguistic term and therefore is not necessarily known to those who haven't studied a second language. https://www.lingualift.com/blog/false-friends-cognates/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slainte39 Posted September 19, 2019 Report Share Posted September 19, 2019 I see your point, but I remember being taught that there was a difference. False cognates had a common or similar etymological ancestry, whereas false friends did not. Makes for a lively and colorful bar room debate. ……...Better than politics. Irish has a lot of false cognates but not many false friends…….Wait!!! Are we still talking about words? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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