Beware Of False Friends !

No, we are not going to warn you about these “friends” that try to steal your girl at a party, never pay back a debt nor return a borrowed book. In language learning, "false friends" are two words in two different languages that look the same, but actually mean something entirely different.  One of the words might have come from the other language originally (these are called cognates), but with false friends, the meaning has become totally different due to time or cultural differences.

Some of the best examples of false friends come from two countries that speak the same language - the United States and the United Kingdom... but very different versions!

Biscuits, Scones And Cookies

I once told a British friend that I liked McDonald's breakfast biscuits, and he gave me a strange look.  "Biscuits for breakfast?"  He said.  "Yes," I replied, "With eggs and a sausage patty between."  I'll never forget the look on his face!

Why was he staring at me and shaking his head that way?  Because a "biscuit" in the UK is what we would call a "cookie" in the US.  McDonalds has lots of breakfast sandwiches, but definitely no cookie sandwich!

Another famous junk food false friend is the difference between "fries" and "chips."  In the United States, potato chips are referred to as "chips," but in the UK they are french fries.  Potato chips are called "crisps."

False Friends From Different Languages

These examples come from different dialects of the same language, but most false friends are words that sound the same in two languages but actually have no relation. 

For example, in French, "main" means hand.  In Swedish, to "spy" means to throw up, not watch someone.  In German, be careful using the word "after" because it means "rectum."  And if somebody calls you "bizarro" in Spanish, it's not an insult; it means "brave."

Perhaps no language has as many humorous false friends with English as Japanese.  In Japan, "hi" (hai) means "yes," "yeah" (iie) means "no," "Ohio" (ohayou) means "Good morning," and "no" is a possessive form and not a refusal.

Probably the most famous false friend in Japanese (and there are many!) is the word "mansion."  In Japanese it means "condominium," a far cry from what the English word means, and a true insight into the cultural differences between western culture and Japanese culture, where space is at a premium.  There is a story about an exchange student going abroad and telling her host family that she lives in a mansion in Japan with 15 floors, and their jaws all hitting the floor at the same time!

Here are some other good ones:

"Pants" - Don't tell your Japanese friends that you're going out wearing just pants.  In Japanese, it means "underwear."  This has led to some confusion before in many situations.

"Hip" - Somehow this part of the body became "buttocks" in Japanese.  It's in the same general area, but slightly different!

"Smart" - Nobody's praising your brainpower when they call you smart in Japan; it's your body their complimenting.  "Smart" means "slim."

"Feminist" - Is there a feminist movement in Japan?  Of course there is, but it isn't called that.  A "feminist" in Japan is a man who's more into women's attention and adoration than rights.

"Neat" - Somebody who is "neat" is not a person who has things well together.  A "neat" is a young adult with no job skills, no experience, no prospects and no motivation to find a good job.

"Yankee" - No, it's not a guy riding a horse with a George Washington wig, and it's not slang for Americans.  A "yankee" is a hoodlum.

"Cunning" - If someone calls you "cunning", they're not calling you clever.  In Japanese, the word means "cheating."

"Viking" - One of the most mysterious of all... no, of course it's not a prehistoric Northern European sea-faring raider.  Somehow, the word "viking" has come to mean "buffet." 

Finally, the weirdest of all English-sounding words, "Skinship."  It actually refers to two people having a close relationship with one another, something like "bosom buddies" or "bedfellows." 

A word of advice

In language, false friends are actually your worst enemies.  When you get mixed up with false friends, your brain is trying to link something new (new words in the foreign language) with something you are familiar with (words in your native tongue that look similar and seem to mean the same thing).  This is done automatically and unconsciously, you cannot deprogram your brain to stop doing it. Actually, it works perfectly for thousands of words, when the languages have a common root. For example, try to guess the meaning of these Spanish words: computadora, cheque, planta. I bet you said: computer, check and plant.  They look the same and mean the same.

The problem is that this automatic process can record permanently in your brain a misleading association.  The best way to handle it is to memorize the new word and force your brain to associate it with the proper meaning. For example, the Spanish adjective “actual” means “current, at the moment”, not “actual”.  The Spanish word for “actual” is “real”. Here you have to remember both actual=current and real=actual.

False friends are entertaining, but they are also a serious part of language learning.  They can be very tricky, and you have to pay especially close attention to them.  Learn the right meaning for those words, and don’t get fooled by false friends!

Peter Freeman
Polyglotus.com