How do false friends differ from cognates in French
False friends and cognates in French differ primarily in their meanings despite similar appearances:
False friends (“faux amis”) are words that look or sound similar in French and English but have different meanings. For example, the French word “bras” looks like the English “bra” but actually means “arm” in French. Using false friends incorrectly can cause misunderstandings because the assumed meaning from the English word is different from the actual French meaning.
Cognates, on the other hand, are words in French and English that look similar and share the same or very close meanings due to shared linguistic roots. For instance, “accident” in French means the same as in English, making them true cognates. There are also semi-cognates, which may not be spelled exactly the same but have closely related meanings.
In summary, cognates share meanings across languages, while false friends look alike but differ significantly in meaning, leading to potential confusion when learning or translating.
This distinction is important because recognizing false friends helps avoid mistakes in communication, especially in conversation or formal situations, whereas cognates generally aid language learning by providing easily recognizable vocabulary.
These concepts were defined and exemplified in detail by various sources discussing French false friends and cognates.