Spanish b/v

laepelba · #31 February 16, 2009, 05:32 PM

By the way, Malila - did you see that I started a new thread with a new tema por escribir @ http://forums.tomisimo.org/showthread.php?t=3098

**AngelicaDeAlquezar** · #32 February 16, 2009, 05:38 PM

Hmmm...

False cognates: similar words, having often the same etymologies and related meanings, but don't mean exactly the same in both languages.

Other words that are similar, have same etymologies and exactly the same meanings, are not false cognates.

Could you please be more specific about examples of what has been called here a false cognate, but you think it's exactly the same word?

chileno · #33 February 16, 2009, 05:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AngelicaDeAlquezar

Hmmm...

False cognates: similar words, having often the same etymologies and related meanings, but don't mean exactly the same in both languages.

Other words that are similar, have same etymologies and exactly the same meanings, are not false cognates.

Could you please be more specific about examples of what has been called here a false cognate, but you think it's exactly the same word?

Quote:

• actual = something existing and real ≠ actual = something that is happening now

• to attend = to be present at some place ≠ atender = to assist

• to assist = to help ≠ asistir = to be present at some place

• compromise = a settlement of differences ≠ compromiso = an engagement

• to molest ≈ to subject to unwanted sexual activity ≠ molestar = to annoy

• sensible ("sensato") = exhibiting good sense ≠ sensible ("sensitive") = capable of perceiving sensations

Look them up and they have exactly the same entries. it is just that in english are not used in full, like in spanish. That's all.

Look in Webster and RAE

Hernan.

laepelba · #34 February 16, 2009, 05:57 PM

But all of those that you listed are on many lists of "false cognates" that I have found online ... amigos falsos....

**Rusty** · #35 February 16, 2009, 06:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chileno

Rusty, and David. Can you adventure any comment on this?

Borrowed from a good Wikipedia article:
False cognates are words in the same or another language that are similar in form AND have the same meaning, but do not have the same etymology (root, or origin). Remember, cognate means blood relative. So, false cognates do not have the same root, but happen to mean the same thing.

False friends, on the other hand, are words in two different languages that look similar but mean different things. (False friends may actually share etymologies and are therefore cognates.) Some false friends are partially false, in that at least meaning is still shared between the words.

True cognates have the same root AND the same meaning.

laepelba · #36 February 16, 2009, 06:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rusty

Borrowed from a good Wikipedia article:
False cognates are words in the same or another language that are similar in form AND have the same meaning, but do not have the same etymology (root, or origin). Remember, cognate means blood relative. So, false cognates do not have the same root, but happen to mean the same thing.

False friends, on the other hand, are words in two different languages that look similar but mean different things. (False friends may actually share etymologies and are therefore cognates.) Some false friends are partially false, in that at least meaning is still shared between the words.

True cognates have the same root AND the same meaning.

VERY interesting - because most of the websites use "false cognates" and "false friends" interchangeably. Hmmm.....

**Rusty** · #37 February 16, 2009, 06:09 PM

I know. They misuse the terms.

**AngelicaDeAlquezar** · #38 February 16, 2009, 06:10 PM

Thank you, Rusty! I thought they were the same.

@Chileno: Hmm... ok... I suppose the idea of knowing when words can be false cognates, is to avoid using them when they create amphibologies.

In the meantime...

You cannot say in Spanish:
"Lo que actualmente está pasando, es que ya no me quieres"
(What actually is happening, is that you don't love me anymore)
It would rather be "lo que realmente pasa..."

And if you said in English:
"My daughter told me her teacher molests her"
You go immediately to the police... not the case at all if you say in Spanish:
"Mi hija me contó que su maestro la molesta"

And as far as I know, "to be sensitive" is not "to be sensible" and "ser sensible" is not "ser sensato".

chileno · #39 February 16, 2009, 06:12 PM

Rusty and paepelba:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rusty

Borrowed from a good Wikipedia article:
False cognates are words in the same or another language that are similar in form AND have the same meaning, but do not have the same etymology (root, or origin). Remember, cognate means blood relative. So, false cognates do not have the same root, but happen to mean the same thing.

False friends, on the other hand, are words in two different languages that look similar but mean different things. (False friends may actually share etymologies and are therefore cognates.) Some false friends are partially false, in that at least meaning is still shared between the words.

True cognates have the same root AND the same meaning.

but these have the same etymology. Look them up ib both: RAE and Webster.

Hernan.

**Rusty** · #40 February 16, 2009, 06:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chileno

but these have the same etymology.

These what?

Ask a Question

Spanish b/v

This is the place for questions about conjugations, verb tenses, adverbs, adjectives, word order, syntax and other grammar questions for English or Spanish.