The title of this post is based on a saying in English, "to call a spade a spade." This means to say things directly, rather than using euphemisms or not saying what you really mean. However, I am using this saying to show how words can have different meanings in different languages.
Most of the languages I know are Indo-European, that is to say they derive from a single parent language called Proto-Indo-European, which was spoken as a single language about 4500 years ago somewhere in modern-day Ukraine or Turkey. Its speakers then spread as far as India in the East and Ireland in the west. You can even listen to a reconstruction of that original language here. Native speakers of Indo-European languages account for almost half the world's population (3.2 billion people).
The relevance of all this for language learning is that when I, for example, as a native speaker of English, learn, say, Italian, then lots of the words will be familiar. The numbers will sound the same (uno, due, tre...), lots of basic words are recognisably similar (for example, tavola is table) and even the grammar is not that different (English past participles end -ed; in Italian they end -ato/-ito/-uto).
But beware of faux amis (false friends)!
Let's cast our mind back to our horse-riding, plough-using ancestors. Imagine the words they used in their language to be like tools - hammers, ploughs, mill-stones etc. Now, fast-forward 4000+ years and those same 'tools' (i.e. words, language) are still around; they have been passed down to us, the 3.2 billion speakers of Indo-European languages. But not only have those tools been reshaped (pH₂tér has become father, padre, otets, tad etc.); we have also each come to use those 'tools' in our own different ways.
Faux amis are words which mean one thing in one language and something else in another.
For example the Indo-European k̂erd has become 'heart' in English, but credere (believe) in Italian. Similarly, médʰu has become myod (honey) in Russian, but mead (alcoholic drink of fermented honey and water) in English. A third example would be the root meĝ- which has become 'much' in English, but megas (grand) in Greek. Desk in English is a writing table, while doska in Russian is a plank or classroom board. Pronto in Italian means ready, but in Spanish it means quick. The word, which has become spade in English, in Greek has become spathē (blade or paddle)
This can produce some rather funny mistakes. At the table in Tuscany, Italy, talking about natural ingredients, I remarked on the merits of not using preservativi (contraceptives). The Ukrainian phrase, Be kind, meaning 'Please', in Russian suggests something along the lines of, 'Caress me'.
So, what can we do about 'false friends'?
1. Look out for them. Do not assume that a word you recognise means exactly what you expect. Ask lots of questions and try things out. Usually there is a standard list of frequently made errors - familiarise yourself with them! Even then, expect to get it wrong and make people laugh some of the time.
2. Remember what's right. If you hear or read a native speaker using a word or phrase, then you know you can do the same. Don't just be content to understand; do what you need to do, so that you can use that same word or phrase in the future.
3. False friends notwithstanding, shared vocabulary is a huge asset to language learning. Once you have mastered the nuances of different meaning, it will still be easier to remember the Indo-European word.
Now, pick up your 'spade' and get digging!
If you are interested in language learning, follow this blog.
My name is Russell Phillips. I offer online video language tuition for English and Russian - and also German, Italian and French.
My rate is GBP 9 (nine pounds sterling) per block of 15 minutes (a typical lesson might be 45 minutes), payable in advance.
Contact me via www.facebook.com/russelljamesphillips or on email at regnavit[at]gmail.com
Most of the languages I know are Indo-European, that is to say they derive from a single parent language called Proto-Indo-European, which was spoken as a single language about 4500 years ago somewhere in modern-day Ukraine or Turkey. Its speakers then spread as far as India in the East and Ireland in the west. You can even listen to a reconstruction of that original language here. Native speakers of Indo-European languages account for almost half the world's population (3.2 billion people).
The relevance of all this for language learning is that when I, for example, as a native speaker of English, learn, say, Italian, then lots of the words will be familiar. The numbers will sound the same (uno, due, tre...), lots of basic words are recognisably similar (for example, tavola is table) and even the grammar is not that different (English past participles end -ed; in Italian they end -ato/-ito/-uto).
But beware of faux amis (false friends)!
Let's cast our mind back to our horse-riding, plough-using ancestors. Imagine the words they used in their language to be like tools - hammers, ploughs, mill-stones etc. Now, fast-forward 4000+ years and those same 'tools' (i.e. words, language) are still around; they have been passed down to us, the 3.2 billion speakers of Indo-European languages. But not only have those tools been reshaped (pH₂tér has become father, padre, otets, tad etc.); we have also each come to use those 'tools' in our own different ways.
Faux amis are words which mean one thing in one language and something else in another.
For example the Indo-European k̂erd has become 'heart' in English, but credere (believe) in Italian. Similarly, médʰu has become myod (honey) in Russian, but mead (alcoholic drink of fermented honey and water) in English. A third example would be the root meĝ- which has become 'much' in English, but megas (grand) in Greek. Desk in English is a writing table, while doska in Russian is a plank or classroom board. Pronto in Italian means ready, but in Spanish it means quick. The word, which has become spade in English, in Greek has become spathē (blade or paddle)
This can produce some rather funny mistakes. At the table in Tuscany, Italy, talking about natural ingredients, I remarked on the merits of not using preservativi (contraceptives). The Ukrainian phrase, Be kind, meaning 'Please', in Russian suggests something along the lines of, 'Caress me'.
So, what can we do about 'false friends'?
1. Look out for them. Do not assume that a word you recognise means exactly what you expect. Ask lots of questions and try things out. Usually there is a standard list of frequently made errors - familiarise yourself with them! Even then, expect to get it wrong and make people laugh some of the time.
2. Remember what's right. If you hear or read a native speaker using a word or phrase, then you know you can do the same. Don't just be content to understand; do what you need to do, so that you can use that same word or phrase in the future.
3. False friends notwithstanding, shared vocabulary is a huge asset to language learning. Once you have mastered the nuances of different meaning, it will still be easier to remember the Indo-European word.
Now, pick up your 'spade' and get digging!
If you are interested in language learning, follow this blog.
My name is Russell Phillips. I offer online video language tuition for English and Russian - and also German, Italian and French.
My rate is GBP 9 (nine pounds sterling) per block of 15 minutes (a typical lesson might be 45 minutes), payable in advance.
Contact me via www.facebook.com/russelljamesphillips or on email at regnavit[at]gmail.com
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