Explanation of "false cognates"

[Marianopolita]

Chirimoya

It is interesting that you bring up this thread again because I am currently reading a linguistic resource about Spanish spoken in the USA released this year and it covers false cognates, extended cognates, loan translations and loan words. It's a very thorough resource and of course interesting. These are topics that I need to stay on top of as well as the terminology and examples.

Anyway thanks for adding to the list of false cognates and indeed those on your new list are ones that are commonly used incorrectly. The resource clearly outlines USA word meanings and the traditional variants. For example carpeta as mentioned in my post # 8 was on the list of many false cognates whose meaning in the USA although incorrect is accepted instead of the traditional variant alfombra. What I mean is carpeta= folder or file. In the USA carpeta= carpet, rug. This area of study is a branch of linguistics known as 'sociolinguistics' thus referring to characteristics of speech of a group, region, etc. influenced by sociocultural factors.

One aspect that I disagree with though from a linguistic point of view is those who know the true meaning of carpeta why would they use the false cognate over alfombra. It's different if the speaker does not know that the Spanish meaning is not equivalent to the English meaning. All of this contributes to the disintegration of language in my opinion.

Yesterday I read an interesting essay by Pedro Juan Gutiérrez about the evolution of the way people speak and one of the last phrases caught my attention:

Es así. El idioma evoluciona. Hoy empleamos un lenguaje más relajado, fresco y sabroso que en siglos anteriores, tanto semántica como gramaticalmente.

I think that this statement is so true and very evident when one hears how Spanish is spoken in the USA- a prime example.


LDG.

 

[mariel]

if someone says to me "pasame la carpeta" what i'll understand s/he wants is the folder, not the rug.

about "que tenga un buen dia", i've always said "que pase un buen dia".

 

[Marianopolita]

Mariel

Of course you will understand the difference however the point I am making is that outside of the USA carpeta does not mean rug. This is purely a sociolinguistic issue (not to mention a false cognate). If the meaning has transcended then it's due to this phenomenon.

LDG.

if someone says to me "pasame la carpeta" what i'll understand s/he wants is the folder, not the rug.

about "que tenga un buen dia", i've always said "que pase un buen dia".

 

[Chirimoya]

can't "preservativo" be translated as "preservative" in the sense of the chemical preservatives in food?

It is used, but I believe the correct term is 'conservante'.

 

[mariel]

lesley: of course i understood what you meant. i was just expressing my vast knowledge of spanglish hehe.

chiri: weird, i've always seen in food packages "sin preservativos ni colorantes" (or something like that). ah well, i learnt something new today

 

[mofi]

Nice list. Some of the false cognates made me laugh. I don't know if you have ever been to Miami but whenever I go I hear examples of the words you gave used incorrectly of course. A common error from your list is "carpeta". I give up. There is no hope. Also certain phrases that are a literal translation from English to Spanish have become acceptable. For example "Have a nice day" in Spanish spoken in the USA. Take a wild guess.


LDG.

Can I guess??? Tengas un buen dia?

 

[mofi]

Of course you will understand the difference however the point I am making is that outside of the USA carpeta does not mean rug. This is purely a sociolinguistic issue (not to mention a false cognate). If the meaning has transcended then it's due to this phenomenon.

LDG.

This is common among people who are either A: Not native spanish speakers or B: Don't have a great education. I can say I am guilty of this.......When I don't know a word I turn and english word into a spanish word....Most people can usually figure out what I am talking about.

 

[mofi]

lesley: of course i understood what you meant. i was just expressing my vast knowledge of spanglish hehe.

chiri: weird, i've always seen in food packages "sin preservativos ni colorantes" (or something like that). ah well, i learnt something new today

I have to agree with you. Never heard that word used for condoms.....Everyone I know says condones

 

[Marianopolita]

Mofi

Both terms are used.

I was hoping that the dictionary would elaborate more on the usage of each term but both online dictionaries that I normally consult and a manual reference have cond?n as a synonym of preservativo.

LDG.

I have to agree with you. Never heard that word used for condoms.....Everyone I know says condones

 

[juancarlos]

Both terms are used but, traditionally, preservativos was the only word I knew for it. It was only after I had been in the US for many years when I heard condones used to mean preservativos. In Mexico they say preservativos, but condones is on the increase. In Cuba, I only heard preservativos. I don't like the word condones. My own personal prejudice, I suppose. I think the word condones is of a more recent origin or usage.

 

[Marianopolita]

Reference info

Preservativo is the only word I knew before I became familiar with condón.

Since the three dictionaries I consulted did not go into details I decided to consult a specialized reference and here is what I found:

preservativo= condom and it's the traditional Spanish word since the late 70's and it was added to the DRAE (Diccionario de la Real Academia) in 1985.

preservativo= food preservative. The word and usage originated in the USA. The traditional word as per this reference is conservante.

LDG.

 

[trina]

Re: embarazada: When I was "fresh off the boat", so to say, or I guess off the plane, and I was meeting Angel's family for the first time, I said something in error, trying to show them my great Spanish. To put the icing on the cake, I wanted to tell them that I was very embarrassed when they corrected me...well, you know the rest...but oooohhhhhh what a reaction .

 

[Chirimoya]

A couple more - these are translation pitfalls to look out for:

- encuentro is 'meeting'. It is not quite the same as 'encounter' in English, which can also mean a meeting but more in the sense of an event. Reunion is a meeting of any sort, not a reunion of old friends, classmates or colleagues in the English sense.

- elaborar is to write, to compose, or to prepare, but it should not be translated into English as 'to elaborate' because this usually means 'to add detail'.

 

[trina]

Miserable is another one you have to watch out for. My understanding is that it means "miserly" or "wanting everything for yourself", not miserable as we know it. Don't ask how I figured that one out...it was quite the err...discussion.

 

[AnnaC]

One more that's been posted here before

simp?tica/simp?tico
..which means a pleasant person or personality but not "sympathetic" as in English.

 

[Tordok]

False cognates can be very tricky. I frequently trip all over them in both languages, even in writing. Like Lesley told us, these changes are often the result of sociolinguistics and not necessarily of semantics, since they often do share a common but remote etymological meaning. Confusion and Confusi?n do meant the same, BTW.

My example for the thread:FATAL
Technically means the same thing in both languages, however the more common usage in English is to denote that something is deadly/lethal/mortal/end-stage. E.g.: FATAL ERROR: Your computer will be shut down.

In Spanish FATAL usually means that something is "very bad". "Tatica luce fatal" most likely would mean that Tatica looks terrible.....in that dress....or....with that haircut. In English, stating "Nancy looks fatal" could just as well replace "Nancy is close to kicking the bucket".

You can imagine the problems this little change in interpretation could cause in a hospital setting.:bandit:

Both in English and Spanish, the French "Femme Fatale" means an overly attractive female that preys on unsuspecting men. :lick:

- Tordok

BTW Chiri, asistir could also mean HELP in Spanish. From the Online REAL ACADEMIA Dictionary:
Asistir.
(Del lat. assistĕre, detenerse junto a alg?n lugar).
1. tr. Acompa?ar a alguien en un acto p?blico.
2. tr. Servir o atender a alguien, especialmente de un modo eventual o desempe?ando tareas espec?ficas.
3. tr. Servir interinamente. Estoy ahora sin criada, y me asiste Martina.
4. tr. Socorrer, favorecer, ayudar.
5. tr. Cuidar enfermos y procurar su curaci?n. Le asiste un m?dico famoso. Estoy asistiendo a Rafael.
6. tr. Dicho de la raz?n, del derecho, etc.: Estar de parte de alguien.
7. intr. Concurrir a una casa o reuni?n, tertulia, curso, acto p?blico, etc.
8. intr. Estar o hallarse presente.
9. intr. En ciertos juegos de naipes, echar cartas del mismo palo que el de aquella que se jug? primero.
10. intr. Col. Vivir, habitar. Aurelio asiste en la monta?a.

I agree that ayudar is much more frequently used, but Centro de Asistencia Para Envejecientes or Elpidio prest? asistencia a las v?ctimas are not entirely unheard of. :classic:

 

[Chirimoya]

Some more I've noticed recently:

1. Norma means rule/regulation, not the same as norm in English, which refers to the normal state of affairs.

from Dictionary.com
norm
Conforming with, adhering to, or constituting a norm, standard, pattern, level, or type; typical: normal room temperature; one's normal weight; normal diplomatic relations.

2. Cancelar means to fire or dismiss someone, but should not be translated as 'cancelled', which in English means 'anulled'. In Venezuela 'cancelar' can also mean 'to pay'.

3. Diversion in Spanish is 'enjoyment', while in English it can mean that but it's not the primary meaning of the word. Diversion usually means 'deviation', depending on context.

 

[Chirimoya]

Another one I remembered. The other day I asked someone what the main problem in their community was, and they said 'corrupci?n' - at first I thought she meant corruption in the sense of dishonesty/theft of public funds. In fact she meant 'vice' - she went on to say a lot of people there were alcohol and drug users.

It is also used to mean prostitution, under-age in particular, and sexual deviance/misconduct. Dominicans will say that there is a lot of 'corrupci?n' in Boca Chica - meaning vice in the sense of prostitution and general debauchery.

 

[MrMike]

A few I can think of

"Desarollar" means develop, but you cannot use this to have film developed. In Spanish film is not developed but revealed.

Use "revelar fotos" instead of "desarollar fotos"

"Mover" is to move, but moving from your house is "mudar", not "Mover"

"Embarasada" is a common one, it means pregnant, not embarrassed.

 

[macocael]

Shift of English meanings over time

Quieto, in Spanish, is not "quiet" but "still, unmoving" (the opposite of "inquieto", "restless").

Profundo usually means "deep", rather than "profound".

Fastidioso is "bothersome", not "fastidious"

Soportar is not "to support", but to "suffer" or "tolerate" something.

Pretender doesn't mean "to pretend", but to "try" or "aspire to".

Actualmente is "currently", not "actually", and "actualidad" is "news".

Lectura is the act of "reading", not a "lecture".

Recordar is not to "record", but to "remember".

Ilusi?n can be "illusion", as in "optical illusion", but is more often used to describe a state of mind: optimism, excitement, eagerness.

Regular does not always mean "regular". More often than not, it means "not so good" or "so-so". Speaking of which...

Soso, applied to food, means "bland", "lacking in salt".

Simp?tico is "friendly" or "charming", but not necessarily "sympathetic".

Oscuro is "dark", not "obscure".

Pariente is not just a "parent", but any relative.

Informal, when used to describe a person, means he is "unreliable", not that he is casually dressed.

Argumento is Spanish for a "argument" to prove a theory, or "plot" as in a movie plot, but not an argument between two people.

Discusi?n is an "argument" (usually a loud one), not a "discussion".

Rendici?n means "surrender", not "rendition"

Rape, which has led to many an inspired menu translation, refers to "monkfish" or "anglerfish".

This is yet another interesting thread on the language, and I think I can add something from my English Lit and Lang training here that will provide some background on these false cognates. Many of these English words do in fact retain the Spanish meaning as well. In fact, if one were to use 17th and 18th century English as a reference, I think we would find that the original primary English meanings were closer to the Latin and that what we nowadays think of as the primary meaning is the result of a metaphorical shift over time away from the Latin. If one were to research, say, Johnson's Dictionary I bet you would find many of these words carried the same meaning as the Spanish terms as their primary denotation, or at least as an equal standard denotation, and not a mere connotation. For example, quiet, profound, support, obscure, pretend, and argument all meant back then exactly what the Spanish words mean still, and in fact to this day some of these words still carry those meanings as connotations that are often invoked in "high literary" prose. Course, they also meant back then what they are taken to mean today; however, my point is that while today it would be rather odd to hear the word "argument" used in the sense of "plot," in Johnson's time it was an accepted and common meaning. Profound is still used today to mean "deep," but usually in a poetic sense. In Johnson's time that sense of the term was common. Pretend is another: all through English history one hears about "pretenders" to the throne, and this sense was conveyed as well in the verb form. In some cases, the form of the word does change, but the root provides the clue: Rendition may have been used in Shakespeare's time in the sense of surrender, but later that meaning was lost to the noun but retained by the verb (to render), though admittedly it was a special usage. If one focuses on 17th century English one finds numerous instances of this. That is one reason 17th century English poetry is some of the greatest ever written: the word stock in a time of linguistic and social transition was rich in meaning.

All of this has to do with the introduction of Latinate terms to Saxon English at the time of the Norman invasion. One can see this very clearly if one reads English poetry prior to the invasion and compares that with Chaucer, who introduced French words into his writing. The English language after that period was rather volatile to say the least, and in Shakespeare's time there was a broad range of orthography and meaning depending on what region the writer came from. YOu can see how many of these words were shaped and changed if you compare late 16th century English translationsof the Bible with the King James version that followed shortly thereafter.