The goal of this paper is to investigate diachronically the processes of semantic change from which originate false friends by the examination of five typical cases of false friends between English and German. First, a classification of different types of false friends (chance and semantic) will be made. This part includes the delineation of the major meaning shifting processes (metaphor, metonymy, specialization and generalization) that have resulted in semantic false friends. Second, the diachronic development of five cases of semantic false friends will be examined in order to find out to which extent these figurative links have contributed to the existenceof false friends.
European learners of English as a foreign language are familiar with situations in which they create incorrect interferences between words belonging to their mother tongue and words from the target language, assuming that their meanings are equivalent. Due to the existence of cross-linguistic word pairs that are similar, even identical in orthography or in spelling the foreign language learner traps into treacherous language errors which result in misunderstandings, mistranslations and difficulties in communication.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Literature
2.1 Polysemy and semantic change
2.2 Metaphor
2.3 Metonymy
2.4 Specialization and Generalization
3. Method and Discussion
3.1 brief
3.2 map
3.3 brave
3.4 caution
3.5 sentence
4. Conclusion
5. References
Research Objectives and Topics
The primary objective of this paper is to conduct a diachronic investigation into the semantic processes that lead to the formation of "false friends" between the English and German languages. By examining specific lexemes that share common etymological origins but have diverged in meaning, the study aims to illustrate how figurative links and semantic shifts drive these linguistic differences.
- Diachronic analysis of semantic change
- Classification of figurative links (metaphor, metonymy)
- Mechanisms of specialization and generalization
- Cognitive linguistic perspectives on false friends
- Case studies of selected English-German word pairs
Excerpt from the Book
3.1 brief adj. [vs. German Brief ‘letter’]
The first example of semantic false friends to be investigated is the English lexeme brief, which, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, means ‘of short duration’, ‘quickly passing away or ending’. This lexeme forms a false friend with the German lexeme Bief. Unlike the English sense of the word, German Brief signifies a ‘writing’ that is sent to someone in an envelope, so a ‘letter’ (in English). The OED and the Etymolgisches Wörterbuch der Deutschen Sprache state that both words have derived from the Latin word breve ‘letter, dispatch, note’. So, they are semantic false friends since both are almost identical in form and have the same origin but differ, from a synchronic and cross-linguistic viewpoint, in meaning. Examining the diachronic development of English brief, it can be concluded that the word had several senses: from ‘a letter of authority’ (noun, obsolete) to ‘a letter, dispatch, note,’ and to ‘something brief or short’ (adj.). However, it has to be noted at this point that the respective meanings existed simultaneously, from which we can assume that that brief was a polysemous word. Definitely, the processes that underlie the semantic change between ‘letter, note’ and ‘something brief or short’ are diverse. Still, it can be stated that one of the meaning potentials of the word brief has survived until today which is the one of ‘something short’. Thus, we can state that after the phase of polysemy the sense of word brief changed through the figurative link of generalization. This means that its meaning has become less specific. In contrast to this development the German sense of Brief has stayed the literal one. This is why brief and Brief are categorized as false friends now a days.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter introduces the phenomenon of false friends as a source of communication errors and outlines the study's goal to investigate these linguistically through a diachronic perspective.
2. Literature: This section provides a theoretical framework by defining false friends and reviewing key concepts such as polysemy, metaphor, metonymy, and semantic change.
3. Method and Discussion: This chapter details the methodology of selecting five English-German word pairs and provides a comprehensive linguistic analysis of their divergent semantic development.
4. Conclusion: The concluding chapter synthesizes findings, confirming that figurative links and pragmatic language use are key drivers in the formation of semantic false friends.
5. References: This section lists the etymological dictionaries and secondary academic literature utilized to support the diachronic analysis.
Keywords
False friends, semantic change, diachronic linguistics, polysemy, metaphor, metonymy, specialization, generalization, etymology, cognitive linguistics, cross-linguistic, lexemes, semantic shift, pragmatic language use, word pairs.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research paper?
The paper explores the diachronic reasons why certain word pairs, known as "false friends," exist between English and German despite sharing common etymological roots.
What are the primary thematic fields addressed?
The study centers on cognitive linguistics, specifically how semantic shifts like metaphor and metonymy create divergence in word meanings over time.
What is the main research question?
The research asks to what extent figurative links, such as specialization and generalization, have contributed to the creation of semantic false friends between the two languages.
Which methodology is employed in this study?
The author uses a diachronic, contrastive analysis by consulting etymological dictionaries to trace the historical development of five randomly selected word pairs.
What is covered in the main body of the text?
The main body examines five specific case studies: "brief," "map," "brave," "caution," and "sentence," analyzing how each word evolved in its respective language.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
Key terms include false friends, semantic change, polysemy, etymology, and figurative links.
How does the author define a "semantic" false friend?
Unlike "chance" false friends which are unrelated, semantic false friends share the same etymological origin but have diverged through specific cognitive and pragmatic processes.
What role does polysemy play in the author's analysis?
Polysemy is described as an early stage of semantic change, where a word initially possesses multiple related meanings before specific senses are favored or lost in different languages.
How did the word "map" become a false friend compared to the German "Mappe"?
The study identifies a metonymic link between "material" and "function" in English, whereas the German term evolved to signify a "protective covering" for documents.
What conclusion does the author reach regarding the word "sentence"?
The paper concludes that the English term "sentence" underwent continuous generalization from an "opinion" to its modern sense, while the German "Sentenz" retained a meaning closer to the original "aphorism."
- Citar trabajo
- Anonym (Autor), 2013, Figurative Links as Source of False Friends, Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/498484
