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MORE ABOUT FALSE FRIENDS...1 MORE ABOUT FALSE FRIENDS DEFINITION OF “FALSE FRIENDS” “False...

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1 MORE ABOUT FALSE FRIENDS DEFINITION OF “FALSE FRIENDS” “False friend” is a word in a language that looks or sounds similar to a word in another language but means something different. Trivial/triviale, genial/geniale, education/educazione, actual/attuale, argument/argomento, economic/economico are false friends between English and Italian. PARTIALLY AND TOTALLY FALSE FRIENDS Some false friends are only partially “false”. In such phrases as religious education sex education physical education continuing education the term “education” in English is translated as “educazione” in Italian: We too say: educazione religiosa educazione sessuale educazione fisica educazione permanente The pair “education/educazione” are not false friends in these examples. They are “true friends.” In phrases and sentences like the following: It's important for children to get a good education . The government spends so much on guns and so little on education full-time education a degree in education “education” doesn’t mean “educazione” but “istruzione, scuola, studi, pedagogia”: È importante che i bambini ricevano una buona istruzione Il governo spende troppo per le armi e poco per la scuola scuola a tempo pieno laurea in pedagogia In these cases “education/educazione” are false friends. Similarly, the word “educazione” meaning “correct behaviour” is not translated as “education”, but “(good/bad) manners”, “upbringing”, “polite/politeness [pƏ`lait/ pƏ`laitnƏs]”: I genitori sono responsabili dell’educazione dei figli: Parents are responsible for their children’s manners ; È il risultato di una educazione rigida: That’s the result of a strict upbringing Non sopporto la sua maleducazione : I can’t bear his bad manners
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MORE ABOUT FALSE FRIENDS

DEFINITION OF “FALSE FRIENDS”

“False friend” is a word in a language that looks or sounds similar to a word in another language but means something different. Trivial/triviale, genial/geniale, education/educazione, actual/attuale, argument/argomento, economic/economico are false friends between English and Italian.

PARTIALLY AND TOTALLY FALSE FRIENDS

Some false friends are only partially “false”. In such phrases as � religious education � sex education � physical education � continuing education the term “education” in English is translated as “educazione” in Italian: We too say: � educazione religiosa � educazione sessuale � educazione fisica � educazione permanente The pair “education/educazione” are not false friends in these examples. They are “true friends.” In phrases and sentences like the following: � It's important for children to get a good education. � The government spends so much on guns and so little on education � full-time education � a degree in education “education” doesn’t mean “educazione” but “istruzione, scuola, studi, pedagogia”: � È importante che i bambini ricevano una buona istruzione � Il governo spende troppo per le armi e poco per la scuola � scuola a tempo pieno � laurea in pedagogia In these cases “education/educazione” are false friends. Similarly, the word “educazione” meaning “correct behaviour” is not translated as “education”, but “(good/bad) manners”, “upbringing”, “polite/politeness [pƏ`lait/ pƏ`laitnƏs]”: � I genitori sono responsabili dell’educazione dei figli: Parents are responsible for

their children’s manners; � È il risultato di una educazione rigida: That’s the result of a strict upbringing � Non sopporto la sua maleducazione: I can’t bear his bad manners

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� Per educazione non mi ha fatto notare l’errore: He was too polite to point out my mistake

“Education/educazione” are therefore partially “false” friends, because sometimes they have the same meaning, (when education actually means educazione), and sometimes they don’t (when education doesn’t mean educazione but studi, scuola, istruzione). Other false friends pairs are totally “false”, because they never have the same meaning in the two languages. Thus genial never means geniale – it means “cordiale, affabile, gioviale, socievole”; trivial never means triviale but “insignificante, futile, banale, superficiale”; ultimately never means ultimamente but “alla fine, in ultima analisi, essenzialmente”. Here are some examples of use: � A genial old man: Un vecchietto gioviale. � A genial expression: Un’espressione affabile. � To talk about trivial matters: Parlare di cose futili. � He’s not really a trivial person: Non è poi una persona superficiale. � Ultimately, he’ll have to decide: Alla fine una decisione dovrà prenderla. � Poetry is what is ultimately lost in translation: Ciò che in fin dei conti va perso

nella traduzione è proprio la poesia. Similarly, “geniale”, “triviale” (meaning “volgare”) “ultimamente” are never translated as genial, trivial, ultimately. We have to use other words. E.g.: Una trovata geniale: A brilliant idea. Un musicista geniale: A gifted musician. Linguaggio triviale: Coarse language. Ultimamente non sono stato bene: I haven’t been so well lately.

SPEAKING OF COLLOCATIONS Here is a page from a Collocations Dictionary (included in the CD-ROM of the Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary 2002), that shows how the word education is used with other words:

education Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 2nd edition © Cambridge University Press 2005

Verbs get / have / receive an education She received a first-class education.

give / provide an education The school provided basic education to local children.

enter education Children enter full-time education at the age of 7 here.

continue / extend your education We like to give our employees the chance to continue their education.

complete / finish your education He completed his formal education at an art school in Paris.

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Nouns an education authority / committee / department Mary has worked for the education authority for thirty years.

an education programme / service / system There was a debate on whether the education system prepares children for work.

an education chief / minister / officer / secretary / spokesman The education minister has responsibility for exams.

education standards Have education standards been rising under this government?

Adjectives a decent / excellent / good education I was lucky because I had a very good education.

compulsory education In those days, we finished compulsory education at 13.

Types private / public US / state education His job is to improve state education.

early / nursery / pre-school education Nursery education is not available for all families.

primary / secondary education Moving from primary to secondary education is a big change for children.

college / university education A university education improves your chances of getting a job.

adult / further / higher / vocational education William is a lecturer in the university's adult education department.

full-time / part-time education Dental care is free for those in full-time education.

graduate US / post-graduate UK education She started her post-graduate education immediately after completing her degree.

classical / formal education People used to talk about the benefits of a classical education.

drugs / health / religious / sex education We are introducing a new health education programme in schools.

bilingual education There has been a great debate about bilingual education in California.

Prepositions in education I have three children in full-time education .

education about something The public requires education about diet.

MORE EXAMPLES OF FALSE FRIENDS Below are more examples of false friends taken from the dictionary of Virginia Browne-Elena Mendes-Gabriele Natali, More and More False Friends. Bugs & Bugbears. Dizionario di ambigue affinità e tranelli nella taduzione fra inglese e italiano, Bologna, Zanichelli, 1995, 2nd ed. Study them carefully, do the exercises after the false friends pages, then check your answers.

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5

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EXERCISES

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ANSWERS TO GROUP 1 – NOUNS

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(continued)

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ANSWERS TO GROUP 1 – ADVERBS

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False friends – Miscellaneous HOW WOULD YOU TRANSLATE THE UNDERLINED WORDS OR FILL IN THE GAPS?

CHOOSE THE BEST ANSWERS.

1. L’educazione musicale dovrebbe essere obbligatoria a scuola. A good manners B education C upbringing D politeness

2. Che educazione! Non ha nemmeno chiesto scusa! A upbringing B manners C education D politeness.

3. Ha avuto un’educazione così rigida che gli ha distrutto ogni traccia di spontaneità. A upbringing B education C politeness D good manners

4. L’istruzione dei bambini è affidata in massima parte alla scuola. A manners B education C politeness D upbringing

5. He was almost illiterate; now he’s rich and wants to raise his level of ____________ A manners B politeness C education D upbringing

6. The boy’s parents sent him to a famous independent school, but he would have preferred state____________ A public schools B education C instruction D teaching

7. She has become a teacher of physical _____________: A education B subject C instruction D building

8. Non è un argomento adatto al pubblico di stasera. A argument B business C topic D contents

9. L’argomentazione non sembra abbastanza plausibile. A subject B argument C topic D subject matter

10. Il saggio tratta un argomento attuale. A subject B argument C event D matters

11. L’autrice non ha validi argomenti per sostenere la propria tesi. A topics B arguments C subjects D subject matter

12. “A genial old man = Un vecchietto _________ ”: A gioviale B geniale C generoso D gentile

13. Ha trovato una soluzione geniale a un problema che sembrava insolubile. A distinguished B genial C ingenuous D ingenious

14. Ha avuto una trovata geniale. A a good idea B an ingenuous idea C a genial idea D a brilliant idea

15. When I relax among friends, I only want to talk about trivial matters A banalità B argomenti volgari C cose qualunque D cose triviali

ANSWERS TO “False friends – Miscellaneous”

1B

2B

3A

4B

5C

6B

7A

8C

9B

10A

11B

12A

13D

14D

15C


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