VILNIUS UNIVERSITY

INSTITUTE OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

Margarita Melnik

Study programme English and another foreign (French) language

2nd year

THE PHENOMENON OF FALSE FRIENDS IN THE ENGLISH AND RUSSIAN

LANGUAGES, THE MOST FREQUENT FALSE FRIENDS IN THE FICTION OF
PAOLO COELHO

Yearly Paper

Academic Supervisor Vitas Gricius

Vilnius
2016

ASSESSMENT SHEET

Academic Supervisors Evaluation:

(date of Paper evaluation)

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................... 3
I LITERATURE REVIEW ........................................................................................................ 5
1.1.

The Concept of False Friends ................................................................................. 5

1.2. False Friends or False Cognates? .................................................................................... 6

1.3. Classification of False Friends..................................................................................... 7
1.4. False Friends Dictionaries ........................................................................................... 8
1.5. Understanding False Friends ..................................................................................... 10
II METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................................... 12
2.1. Description of the empirical survey and methods applied ............................................ 12
2.2. Characteristics of the empirical data ............................................................................. 12
III EMPIRICAL SURVEY ...................................................................................................... 13
3.1. Total False Friends .................................................................................................... 13
3.2. Partial False Friends .................................................................................................. 17
CONCLUSIONS ..................................................................................................................... 23
REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................ 24
BIBLIOGRAPHY .................................................................................................................... 26
LIST OF APPENDICES .......................................................................................................... 27
SUMMARY ............................................................................................................................. 31

INTRODUCTION
Vocabulary of a language is the most changeable and unpredictable side of it which
sensitively responds to all the significant events happening in the world. A characteristic
feature of vocabulary is the ability to be enriched with new words and meanings which may
be formed in different ways. One of the principal ways how to add new words to the language
is borrowing them from another language. However, borrowing words is an extremely
complicated process and it can be influenced by the phenomenon called false friends.
False friends are pairs of words which are often etymologically related, similar in form but
different from the semantic point of view. They can be divided into two subgroups: partial
false friends and full false friends. Moreover, deceptive words can be classified as
chance false friends and semantic false friends.
The phenomenon of false friends usually causes a great number of problems among foreign
language learners as well as translators. There can be found many false friends in both the
English and the Russian languages and it is essential to thoroughly analyse them as they are
unavoidable in every persons speech.
The subject of the annual paper is the phenomenon of false friends in the English and
Russian languages.
The aim of this paper is to analyse the types of false friends and explore the most common
false friends found in the fiction written by Paulo Coelho and their equivalents false
friends in the Russian language.
The main objectives of this research paper are:
to present the history of false friends topic and types of false friends
to explain the importance of the awareness of false friends while learning a foreign
language
to explore full false friends and partial false friends
to analyse the most frequently met false friends in the fiction written by the
Brazilian writer Paulo Coelho and translated from the English language into the
Russian language

The methods which are applied in order to achieve the objectives are analytical and
descriptive.

I LITERATURE REVIEW
This part of the research paper is the review of literature about the false friends. Firstly, the
history of the phenomenon false friends as a separate concept will be presented. Secondly,
the difference between false friends and false cognates will be examined. Thirdly, the
ways false friends are classified will be introduced. Finally, dictionaries of false friends
which might of use to foreign language learners will be briefly presented.
1.1. The Concept of False Friends
This section briefly goes through the history of the concept of false friends and presents the
writers who contributed to the analysis and description of false friends.
The notion of false friends belongs to the category of vocabulary issues. When we speak
about False friends, we refer to the words which exist in two languages and which fully or
partially coincide in meaning or usage. False friends exist in pairs of different languages,
for example, English and Spanish (the English word embarrassed is the false friend of the
Spanish embarazada), French and Russian (the French compote is the false friend of
Russian ) and it is not an exhaustive list, therefore, it can be noticed that this
phenomenon is present in many languages.
The term false friends was firstly presented in the work of French scholars Maxime
Koessler and Jules Derocquigny in 1928 in their work Les faux amis, ou Les trahisons du
vocabulaire anglais : conseils aux traducteurs (Chamizo-Domnguez, 2008:1). As this topic
is analysed by a significant number of professionals, according to Buncic (2000), (as cited in
Chamizo-Dominguez, 2008:2), there are more than 16 terms which refer to the phenomenon
of false friends, some of them are false cognates, false pairs, false equivalents, deceptive
cognates, deceptive words, treacherous twins and belles infidelles. However, ChamizoDominguez suggests the first complete explanation of the term introduced by T. Hayward and
A. Moulin:
The best definition of the problem one can give is probably in Saussurean terms. In
the learners mother tongue, a particular signifiant appears, even in a foreign language
context, the above-mentioned association is so strong that the user automatically
thinks of his mother-tongue signifie in its totality. (Buncic, 2000, as cited in
Chamizo-Dominguez, 2008:1)
5

This definition explains the principal reason why the phenomenon of false friends is a
crucial issue and, therefore, must be thoroughly analysed. While learning and using a foreign
language, people often tend to implement their language habits into another language.
Mother-tongue firmly takes root in the brain of every person but it only distracts the attention
and pushes into false analogies.
According to Akulenko (1969, Para. 4), the concept of false friends may be misleading
not only for amateur translators but also for experienced professionals. The lack of
knowledge of false friends may cause even more problems for confident language users
who show high level of efficiency in a foreign language. Moreover, it may affect such
language professionals as lexicographers, translators and teachers from the point of their selfconfidence.
1.2. False Friends or False Cognates?
In this section the definitions of both false friends and false cognates are compared.
As it was mentioned in 2.1. The concept of false friends, the term false friends is not the
only term on the subject used broadly in the scientific literature. As professors Casanovas
Catala & ONeil (1997:103) claim, the term false friends is usually referred to the term
deceptive (false) cognates. Taking into account the area of linguistics, false cognates are
most frequently defined as pairs of words which exist in different languages and have
similarities in form (spelling and pronunciation) and meaning but are etymologically
unrelated. The following example illustrates the term false cognates the word cheek in
the English language and the word shcheka ()means cheek. Another important term
is the term cognate which may be confused with the term false friend. The term
cognates is traditionally assigned to the words which are etymologically related, in other
words, which share the common origin in spite of their meanings. As Chamizo-Dominguez
states (2008:6), the original sources of words-cognates belonging to European languages are
Greek, Latin and less common Hebrew and Arabic. De Groot (2011:121-122) divides the
whole term cognate into more specific terms according to the meaning. De Groot
(2011:120) introduced the term true cognates and compared it to the definition of
deceptive cognates (meaning sharing to some degree) and accidental cognates. De Groot
(2011:121) claims that accidental cognates are not etymologically related but share the
same form. Despite this fact, they are still considered cognates. Another important point
which needs to be highlighted is the difference between the terms false cognates and
6

loanwords. According to Macmillan Dictionary, loanwords are words from one language
that are used in another language without being changed. As it was already mentioned at the
beginning of this section, false cognates exist in the vocabulary of the languages of the
same ancestor while loanwords appear in pairs of languages which are completely unrelated,
for example, English and Russian. For example, the Russian word samovar, which means
a traditional Russian tea urn, appeared in the English language as a loanword. However,
taking into account the attitudes of language learners, the aspect of etymology certainly does
not play the most important role while learning a language. Consequently, there are more
descriptions and analysis of the concept false friends found as this concept depicts the
single phenomenon of formal similarity and semantic dissimilitude and is not divided into
smaller categories.
According to Nicholls (2004), in the English and Russian languages loanwords in the
majority of cases are direct or indirect and belong to the common third source as both the
English and Russian languages were particularly influenced by Scandinavian, French, Dutch,
Greek and Latin. There is a much smaller number of loanwords which have an AngloRussian language contact: words of the English origin in the Russian language and words of
the Russian origin in the English language, although, in some cases, loanwords belonging to
this group are explored to have significant differences with their equivalents in another
language, what leads to the misunderstandings of the speaker.
As it became evident in this section, the term false friends is used more widely as it is a
broader term than false cognates or loanwords.
1.3. Classification of False Friends
In this section, different classifications of false friends are introduced.
Discrepancies in the meaning between two words that are of a similar form in two different
languages may be explored from various angles, therefore, various classifications were
proposed.
First of all, false friends used in oral and written speech are distinguished. According to
Beltran (2006), the speech (oral or written) should be taken into account as it enables to
compare the words belonging to languages which differ in writing (for instance, the
languages which have different alphabets), or, on the contrary, the languages with a common
script but phonemically dissimilar vocabulary. Such classification was proposed by Beltran
7

(2006) who distinguished between graphic and phonetic false friends. Taking into account
only semantics, he proposed the division of false friends into two broad categories: total and
partial false friends. According to Beltran (2006:33), it is crucial not to forget the
differences and similarities of the form, therefore he introduced his typology consisting of
four types of false friends: total false friends (both graphic and phonetic) and partial
false friends divided into graphic and phonetic ones.
Differently from Beltran (2006), Chamizo-Dominguez (2008) tended to categorise false
friends in a different way, emphasising two basic categories: chance false friends and
semantic false friends. According to Chamizo-Dominguez (2008), chance false friends
possess the same graphic and phonetic forms but are neither semantically nor etymologically
related. Consequently, semantic false friends are the pairs of words which have a similarity
in semantics. As Chamizo-Dominguez (2008) states, the category of semantic false friends
is much more problematic and is in need of a more attentive analysis owing to the frequency
of appearance in the everyday speech.
In the works of other linguists, there are also other classifications of false friends. For
instance, Veisbergs (1996) in his paper entitled False Friends Dictionaries: A Tool for
Translators or Learners or Both proposes three categories of false friends false friends
proper, occasional or accidental false friends and pseudo false friends. According to
Veisbergs (1996), occasional false friends belong to another logical group as they do not
usually create issues for the bilingual speakers who encounter these words in the context.
Different classifications of false friends were presented in this section based on the
speech false friends are used in, on the form (graphic or phonetic), on the concurrence
(total or partial) and according to the semantics of the words.
1.4. False Friends Dictionaries

This section focuses on the dictionaries of false friends, the types of such dictionaries and
their potential readers pursuing different goals.

The most frequently occurring faux amis should be listed, categorized and explained
by means of contrastive comparisons. It is only by this sort of analysis that advanced
learners can be sensitized to the difficulty of translating such innocuous-looking pairs
of similar words. (Perkins, as cited in Granger & Swallow, 1988:119)
8

Taking into account all the information stated above, the following conclusion may be shown
it is very important to analyse the ways how to translate and use false friends. It should
be highlighted that a detailed examination of this category of words is available only in the
most popular languages. Apart from the accidental, more or less short articles and educational
publications, some specialised dictionaries in such languages as English, French, Spanish,
German, and Russian may be found. The dictionaries of this type are not the substitute for the
classical bilingual dictionaries but they can be entitled as the sets of the unique, often very
valuable but sometimes random comments and thoughts. The comments of this kind are
usually aimed at finding and preventing the errors while using the language, also, they may
be used in cases of improving the quality of translations.
Veisbergs (1996: 630) analyses four main types of false friends dictionaries:
The basic false friends dictionary (Hill, 1982). According to Veisbergs (1996,
ibid.), this dictionary is appropriate for becoming aware of the words which are false
friends and is practical in case of being used together with the dictionary of another
language;
More expanded false friends dictionary (such as written by Browne in 1987,
Labarre in 1989, Parker in 1992 and Veisbergs in 1994). The dictionary of this sort
provides the readers with the principal definitions of false friends in both languages.
A detailed false friends dictionary (such as compiled by Akulenko in1969, Thody in
1985, Gottlieb in 1972). Detailed false friends dictionaries include pieces of a
scrupulous analysis, plenty of examples and occasional explanations of the most
common errors. However, these scientific dictionaries are not popular among the
majority of users as these dictionaries offer a broad range of information and in order
to find and analyse the chosen pair of words, the additional time and efforts may be
needed (Veisbergs, 1996);
Learners dictionary of false friends (for example, the dictionary compiled by
Breitkreuz, 1991-1992). The most typical pairs of false friends and exercises for the
language learners are presented in such dictionaries.
As it is evident from this section, there exist some dictionaries which provide insights into
pairs of false friends and consulting such dictionaries might help a language learner to
become aware and avoid the mistakes related to the phenomenon of false friends.
9

1.5. Understanding False Friends

This section presents the factors that can be analysed by learners or translators so that the
mistakes related to the phenomenon of false friends are avoided.
In such cases, when professional dictionaries are not accessible but the translation is urgent,
the translator could avoid making errors and translating the word in a wrong way by taking
into account the following factors:
The semantic factor. This factor results from the different subsequent development
of the words which were borrowed from the same common source.
The stylistic factor. According to Akulenko (1969, Para. 10), it is impossible to
understand the word not knowing its stylistic, functional and connotational meanings.
The most common differences between the false friends in the English and Russian
languages are discrepancies on the functional and stylistic levels. In other words, it
covers the use of the particular words which may be used predominantly or
exclusively in the certain styles of speech (Akulenko, 1969, ibid.).
The pragmatic factor. This factor reflects the differences in the initial, or
background, knowledge of the learners of different communities. As Akulenko (1969,
Para. 9) claims, the differences of the lifestyle affect the way people use words in
their speech. Akulenko presents the cases of the words which were created during the
Soviet period and the words which are closely related to the social-political
vocabulary which may be usually understood after conducting a research related to
the up-to-date information.
As it is stated in this section, there are three main factors (semantic, stylistic and
pragmatic) which can help foreign language users to avoid the mistakes related to false
friends.
It is crucial to pay attention to all the varieties of false friends and the methods which
may help to use them in an appropriate way. Every person who communicates with
people in the language which is not his mother tongue must be aware of the pairs of false
friends which are frequent in everyday speech in order to avoid misunderstandings.
In both English and Russian false friends can be met within the parts of speech such as
nouns, adjectives, verbs and adverbs. Usually, the pairs of false equivalents belong to the

10

same part of speech. From the point of view of semantics, the words which appear in the
analogous contexts cause more doubts than words which usually belong to different
topics or spheres. For instance, the word rock in the English language means stone
and its false friend in the Russian language reflects a kind of music.
All professionals whose work is connected to the linguistics and people who are studying
and using a new language must thoroughly analyse the phenomenon of false friends.

11

II METHODOLOGY
2.1. Description of the empirical survey and methods applied
The empirical survey on the topic of false friends is conducted in order to explore the
mistakes which may be made by translators while translating works of fiction from the
English language into the Russian language. The fiction written by the Brazilian writer Paolo
Coelho is well-known, respected worldwide and translated into many languages, therefore, it
was chosen for the analysis.
The principal methods which were applied in this research are analytical and descriptive. The
analytical method was chosen because in order to find and explore the usage of the words
which may appear false friends it is crucial to analyse pieces of writing semantically and
ascertain if there are any mistakes and make conclusions upon how they could be changed.
The descriptive method was chosen because it is important to indicate and explain the
meanings of the words in both languages so that the differences or similarities could be easily
understood.
2.2. Characteristics of the empirical data
As the main sources for analysis the following books were chosen: both English and Russian
versions of Eleven Minutes, Veronica Decides to Die, The Zahir, The Alchemist,
The Devil and Miss Prym, Manuscript Found in Accra. Before the start of investigating
the fiction, a list of potential English-Russian false friends (Appendix 1) was prepared due
to the short questionnaire conducted on the Internet the anonymous learners of the Russian
and English languages were asked to name several words which were happened to be false
friends for them. According to this short research, a list of the most common false friends
was created and taken as the basis for the analysis of Paulos Coelho fiction.

12

III EMPIRICAL SURVEY

As it was explained in the theoretical part, false friends exist in combinations of many
languages, for example, English-Spanish (the Spanish word embarazada means pregnant
in the English language when the English equivalent embarrassed means ashamed),
English-French (The French word location has the meaning of rental in English when the
English variant location means a place where something is or could be located or a site),
Russian-Lithuanian (the Russian word means gift; donation while Lithuanian word
dar expresses the meaning of yet or over) and etc. The Russian and English languages
also contain a significant number of words which are false friends.
In order to conduct the survey, several dictionaries were chosen to be thoroughly analysed
Longman Dictionary of the English Language (1984), The Oxford Russian-English
Dictionary (1978).
During the analysis of fiction written by the contemporary Brazilian writer Paolo Coelho, one
clear tendency was noticed false friends tend to subdivide into two categories of total
false friends (Appendix 2) and partial false friends (Appendix 3).
3.1. Total False Friends
The classification of false friends into total false friends and partial false friends was
proposed by Beltran. Total false friends do not have any common points in their meanings;
however, they possess the same orthographic form. There were found some examples which
represent total false friends and the way they are used in the contemporary novels written
by Paolo Coelho.
Example 1
Clay/
Both words are total false friends, despite the fact that they both may relate to the topic of
art and handicrafts. According to Longman Dictionary of the English Language (1984), the
most general meaning of the word clay is a) an earthy material that is pliable when moist
but hard when fired; used for making bricks, tiles, and pottery, b) thick and clinging earth or
mud, while the word in Russian brings the meaning as a any of various strong
adhesive substances; esp. a hard protein chiefly gelatinous substance that absorbs water to
form a thick sticky solution with adhesive properties and that is obtained by boiling down
13

animal materials (hides or bones) (Longman Dictionary of the English Language, 1984) or,
in short, a glue. In the following examples taken from the book Maktub, the translator avoids
making a mistake while translating the word clay into Russian and gives the precise
translation .
God knows that we creative artists when it comes to our lives. On one day, he gives
us clay for sculpting, on another, brushes or canvas, or a pen.
, , .
, , ,
.
Example 2
Smoking/
The words smoking and also belong to the group of total false friends as do
not have any similarities in meaning. The word smoking is derived from the word smoke
in the English language and indicates the act of smoking. Referring to the Longman
Dictionary of the English Language, the verb smoke possesses following meanings: a) to
emit smoke (to inhale and exhale the fumes of burning material, esp. tobacco/cigarettes); b)
to colour or darken (as if) with smoke; c) to cure (for example, meat or fish) by exposure to
smoke traditionally from green wood, turf, or peat); d) to suspect; e) to ridicule (Longman
Dictionary of the English Language, 1984), while the word is translated as
dinner-jacket (Oxford Russian-English Dictionary, 1978), which can also be understood as
tuxedo. As it is obvious from the meanings provided, these two words do not have any
meanings in common and the translator of the novel Eleven Minutes correctly translates the
word smoking which appears to have a false friend in the Russian language.
It was her company he desired. He wanted to put his arm around her and to sit in the
silence, staring into the fire, drinking wine, smoking the occasional cigarette.
,
, , , -
.
Example 3

14

List/
Another pair of total false friends is presented list and . The English word list
can be used as both a noun and a verb and possess 7 meanings according to the Longman
Dictionary of the English Language, however, the noun list means a) a band or strip of
material; esp. a selvage; b) a roll or catalogue of words or numbers (for example, representing
people or objects belonging to a class), arranged in order, one beneath the other, so as to be
easily found - this meaning is presented in the quotation below. The Russian word has
two general meanings which are: a) leaf (of plant), blade (of cereal); b) sheet (of paper);
(metal) plate (Oxford Russian-English Dictionary). Neither of these meanings may be
associated with the English word list. The translator of the book The Zahir finds a different
translation to the word list , which could be translated as chapter. Nevertheless,
translator avoids the trap of false friends.
That way, people will have to make their own itinerary, to discover themselves
restaurants, monuments and all the magnificent things that every city has, but which
are never mentioned because the history we have been taught does not include them in
the list of things you must see.
,
, , ,
, , ,
, .
Example 4
Data/
The words data and also may be called as total false friends. The key meaning of
the word data is factual information (for example, measurements or statistics) used as a
basis for reasoning, discussion, or calculation (Longman Dictionary of the English
Language), whereas the Russian word bears the meaning of the English word date the time, reckoned in days or larger units, at which an event occurs (Longman Dictionary
of the English Language). The translator of the novel Veronica Decides to Die properly
translates the word data into Russian and avoids making a mistake.

15

Dr. Igor was hoping that the girl would start talking so that he could collect more data
for his thesis on insanity and the cure he was developing.
,

, .
Example 5
Troop/
The words troop and completely differ in meanings and are total false friends. The
English troop usually means: a) a subdivision of a cavalry or tank regiment corresponding
to an infantry platoon; b) an artillery unit smaller than a battery; c) a collection of people
or things (unit of scouts under the leader); d) soldiers (Longman Dictionary of the English
Language), whereas the Russian word is translated as a dead body, corpse, carcass
(Oxford Russian-English Dictionary). In the novel Manuscript Found in Accra the translator
converts the English word troops into the Russian equivalent which means
enemies in English, ostensibly, the translator offers not an exact translation.
None of us can know what tomorrow will hold, because each day has its good and its
bad moments. So, when you ask your questions, forget about the troops outside and
the fear inside.
, ,
. , ,
, ,
.
Example 6
Obligation/
As distinct from the pair of words contribution and , obligation and
are total false friends. The English word obligation bears the following
meanings: a) pledging oneself to a course of action; b) something (for example, a contract,
promise, or demand of conscience) that constrains one to a course of action; c) (the amount
of) financial commitment; d) a duty; e) (indebtedness for) a service or favour (Longman
16

Dictionary of the English Language), while the Russian word is explained as

bond, debenture (Oxford Russian-English Dictionary). The translator of The Alchemist
chooses the fourth meaning (duty) of the word obligation and finds its right Russian
equivalent ().
To realize ones destiny is a persons only real obligation.
- : .
Example 7
Insult/
The words insult and belong to completely different categories and are total
false friends. The word insult (which can be both noun and verb) keeps the following
meanings: a) an act of insulting; b) an injury to the body or one of its parts; c) an act of
attacking (Longman Dictionary of the English Language) when the Russian is
more related to the area of medicine and is translated as cerebral thrombosis; a stroke
(Oxford Russian-English Dictionary). The translator of Devil and Miss Prym finds an
appropriate Russian translation to the word insult.
It is always easier to hear an insult and not retaliate than have the courage to fight
back against someone stronger than yourself.
, ,
.
As it is evident in this section, the translators avoided making mistakes while translating total
false friends.
3.2. Partial False Friends
This section presents the partial false friends which were found in the literature of Paolo
Coelho.
Differently from total false friends, partial false friends have at least one meaning in
common, even if all other meanings possess contrastive meanings. In the books by Paulo
Coelho, partial false friends appear more frequently than total false friends. There are
some examples which show partial false friends.
17

Example 8
Spectacle/
The words spectacle and may be explained as partial false friends as both are
related to the topic of performances, displays and etc. When the English word spectacle
might be translated as something exhibited as unusual, noteworthy, or entertaining; esp. a
striking or dramatic public display or show; b) an object of scorn or ridicule, esp. owing to
odd appearance or behaviour; c) glasses (when used in plural) (Longman Dictionary of the
English Language), the Russian word a mainly has the meaning of performance
(Oxford Russian-English Dictionary) or any kind of social event involving a public
performance or entertainment (usually in the theatre). The translator of Veronica Decides to
Die chooses the word the Russian word as in the given context the word
a would overemphasise the situation or the reader would have misinterpreted the
whole sentence.
Disgusted, more people decided to leave, saying it was pure charlatanism, that they
would denounce the degrading spectacle to the press.
, ,
, ,
.
Example 9
Family/
The words family and also are partial false friends as both words semantically
belong to the topic of family. However, the English word family has much more meanings
than its Russian equivalent, for instance, a) a group of people united by their common
convictions (for example, of religion or philosophy); b) the stuff of the high official, esp.
the US president; c) a group of people of common ancestry or deriving from a common
stock, a race; d) a group of people living under one roof; esp. a group of people comprising
one set of parents and their own or adopted children; e) a closely related series of chemical
elements or compounds; f) a group of related languages descended from a single ancestral
language (not exhaustive list) (Longman Dictionary of the English Language), while the
Russian word means a) surname; b) family (Oxford Russian-English
Dictionary). Despite the fact that the Oxford Russian-English dictionary indicates the
18

translation family; the Russian word bearing the meaning family is barely
used in everyday language and has a specific connotation. The translator of Eleven Minutes
uses the word as the equivalent of the word family which is a proper translation.
Does the husband go to work thinking he will find personal fulfilment there? No, he is
giving his sweat and tears for the good of the family.

? .
Example 10
Accurate/
The words accurate and do not completely differ in meanings and are
supposed to fall into category of partial false friends. The word accurate may be
explained as free from error, esp. as the result of care (Longman Dictionary of the English
Language) but also as conforming precisely to a measurable standard, exact (Longman
Dictionary of the English Language). The Russian word possesses several
meanings such as a) exact, thorough; b) tidy, neat (Oxford Russian-English Dictionary).
In the examples taken from The Zahir, the word accurate is translated into Russian as
precise what is completely correct. In the context of this sentence the word
does not ensure the right meaning (connotation), therefore the translator used another word
which fits better.
In Mesopotamia, there are remarkably accurate descriptions of what they called the
falling sickness, which was followed by convulsions.

, .
Example 11
Novel/
The words novel and can be named as partial false friends as both belong to
the topic of literature and writing. According to the Longman Dictionary of the English
Language, the English word novel means an invented prose narrative that is usually long
and complex, and deals esp. with human experience and social behaviour through a usually
19

connected sequence of events whereas the Russian word means short story
(Oxford Russian-English Dictionary). The translator of The Zahir uses the Russian word
as the Russian equivalent of the word novel, however, the more appropriate
translation of the word novel into Russian would be the word , which has the
corresponding meaning and connotation as the word novel.
When I finish this novel, I dont entirely understand what I have written: it is like a
fairy tale for grown-ups, and grown-ups are more interested in war, sex, or stories
about power.
, , -
,
, , .
Example 12
Artist/
The words artist and belong to the group of partial false friends, too. The topic
of art connects them; nevertheless, the meanings slightly differ. The English word artist
refers to a) one who professes and practises an imaginative art; b) a person skilled in one
of the fine arts; c) a skilled performer; d) one who is proficient in a specified and usually
dubious activity; an expert; e) a fellow or character, esp. of specified sort; f) an artisan
(Longman Dictionary of the English Language).
The Russian word provides the meaning artist (Oxford Russian-English
Dictionary), however, is used while referring to a person who acts in a play, film, broadcast
or performs on a stage (singing, dancing, reading the poetry, etc.). The translator while
translating the novel The Zahir used the words and which mainly
can be both translated into the English language as artists. However, he simply ignored the
word bohemians and chose those two words which are almost the same in order to depict
the situation.
A woman buying cigarettes said that, in her days, Paris had been full of bohemians
and artists, not threatening bands of homeless people.

20

, , ,
,
, .
Example 13
Brilliant/
Despite the fact that the English word brilliant is usually used as an adjective and the
Russian word is a noun, both these words may be included into the number of
partial false friends. However, the English brilliant is mainly explained as a gem, esp. a
diamond, cut with numerous facets so that as much light as possible is reflected back from
inside it, giving it maximum brilliance (Longman Dictionary of the English Language), the
word itself is seldom used as a noun which might cause uncertainty during the translation
when the Russian word refers to the gem. The translator of Veronica Decides
to Die masterly translates the English word brilliant and stays clear of using a false friend.
You have a brilliant career as a diplomat ahead of you, and you've got to learn to face
reality.
, ,
, .
Example 14
Intelligent/
The words intelligent and also are included into the category of partial false
friends due to the fact that they both belong to the topic of intelligence. The English word
intelligent bears the following meaning a) having or indicating intelligence, esp. to a
high degree; b) able to perform some of the functions of a computer (Longman Dictionary
of the English Language). The Russian variant is a noun and refers to a
member of the intelligentsia, intellectual (Oxford Russian-English Dictionary). The
translator of Veronica Decides to Die translates the word intelligent as but not
.
Because this is a prison, and theres a prison warden pretending to read a book, just to
make others think shes an intelligent woman.
21

 , ,
, , , , .
Example 15
Contribution/
Contribution and are also supposed to refer to the group of partial false
friends. However, it should be emphasised that they have only one meaning in common.
Generally, the word contribution is interpreted as a) a tax, esp. one imposed for a special
purpose used in historical contexts; b) the act of contributing, something contributed; c)
a piece of writing for publication, esp. in a periodical (Longman Dictionary of the English
Language) whereas mainly refers to a) an indemnity; b) contribution.
The translator of Veronica Decides to Die correctly translates the word contribution as
role into Russian.
Ive already made my contribution to the futile insanity of the law.
.
As it can be seen in this section, the translators translated the partial false friends correctly,
without losing the initial meaning, however, some translations do not fully reflect the idea of
the author.

22

CONCLUSIONS
As it is evident from the analysis conducted, the topic of false friends is crucial to the
science of linguistics in both English and Russian languages. In this annual paper:
the history of the concept false friends was presented. The theory that was explored
showed that there are different divisions of false friends according to various
parameters;
the importance of treating the topic of false friends seriously was explained;
the emphasis on total false friends and partial false friends was taken as it is the
most usual division which might cause particular issues to language learner or
translator;
the analysis of the mainstream words falling into category of false friends in the
contemporary fiction written by the Brazilian writer Paulo Coelho was introduced and
showed that partial false friends are more frequent than total false friends.
However, as it was noticed, it is much easier to identify total false friends than
partial false friends as total false friends usually belong to different topics while
partial false friends possessing one or two meanings in common appear in the
sentences of similar type.
The whole research proved that the phenomenon of false friends must attract more
attention of language learners as well as translators because it is a complex issue which is
present in many languages, not only in the English and Russian languages.

23

REFERENCES

Akulenko, V.V. (1969). O lozhnyh druzyah perevodchika. Retrieved 11 September 2016,

from http://www.homeenglish.ru/Textakul.htm
Casanovas Catal, M., &ONeill, M. (1997). False friends: A historical perspective and
present implications for lexical acquisition. Barcelona English Language and
Literature studies, 8, 103-115.
Chacn-Beltrn, R. (2006). Towards a typological classification of false friends (SpanishEnglish. Revista Espaola de Lingstica Aplicada, 19, 29-39.
Chamizo-Dominguez, P.J. (2007). Semantics and pragmatics of false friends. London:
Routledge.
Coelho. P. (2004). 11 minutes. London: Harper Collins Publishers.
Coelho. P. (2006). The Zahir. London: Harper Collins Publishers.
Coelho. P. (2000). Veronica decides to die. London: Harper Collins Publishers.
Coelho. P. (1993). The alchemist. London: Harper One.
Coelho. P. (2014). Manuscript found in Accra. London: Harper.
Coelho. P. (2009).The devil and miss Prym. London: HarperCollins e-books.
De Groot, A. M. B. (2011). Language and cognition in bilinguals and multilinguals: an
introduction. New York: Psychology Press.
Veisbergs, A. (1996). False Friends dictionaries: A tool for translators or learners or both. In
M. Gellerstam, J. Jrborg, S. Malmgren, K, Norn, L. Rogstrm&C. RjderPapmehl
(Eds.) Euralex 96 proceedings: Papers submitted to the Seventh EURALEX
International Congress on Lexicography in Gteborg, Sweden. (pp. 627-634).
Gteborg: NovumGrafiska.

24

. . (2013). . : .
. . (2012). . : .
. . (2008). .: .
. . (2012). . : .
. . (2008). . : .
. . (2013). . :

25

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Granger, S., &Swallow, H. (1988). False friends: A kaleidoscope of translation difficulties.
Langage et lHomme, 23, 108-120.

Longman Publishing (1984). Longman Dictionary of the English Language. Longman

Nicholls D. (2004). Borrowings and false friends between Russian and English. MED
magazine,

21.

Retrieved

11

September

2016,

from

http://www.macmillandictionaries.com/MED-Magazine/July2004/21-FalseFriendsRussian.htm
Oxford University Press (1978). The Oxford Russian English Dictionary. Oxford
Partington, A. (1998). Patterns and meanings: Using corpora for English language research
and teaching. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
. . (2012). (
).
, 274 (20), 79-87.

26

LIST OF APPENDICES

APPENDIX ONE: The List of False Friends

APPENDIX TWO: Total False Friends
APPENDIX THREE: Partial False Friends

27

APPENDIX ONE
THE LIST OF FALSE FRIENDS

magazine
clay
family
camera
chef
cabinet
extravagant
angina
talon
smoking
velvet
list
insult
troop
accurate
perspective
actual
spectacle
obligation
contribution
brilliant
data
artist
intelligent
novel
prospect
costume
detail
packet
advocate

28

APPENDIX TWO
TOTAL FALSE FRIENDS

clay
smoking
list
insult
troop
obligation
data

29

APPENDIX THREE
PARTIAL FALSE FRIENDS

family
accurate
spectacle
contribution
brilliant
artist
intelligent
novel

30

SUMMARY
iame kursiniame darbe yra nagrinjami odiai - "netikrieji draugai" ir j pavartojimas
angl ir rus kalbose lyginant groin literatr parayt brazil autoriaus Paulo Koeljo.
Netikrj draug tema tampa vis aktualesn ir is fenomenas apraomas daugybje
mokslini darb bei knyg. Inagrinjus susijusi literatr buvo pastebta, jog "netikrieji
draugai" yra skirstomi absoliuius netikruosius draugus (odius raomus ir tariamus
vienodai, bet turinius visikai skirtingas reikmes) ir dalinus netikruosius draugus
(odius, turinius vien ar dvi panaias reikmes ir kelias nesutampanias reikmes).
Praktiniam netikrj draug tyrimui buvo pasirinkti groins literatros romanai (Zahiras,
Vienuolika minui, Veronika nusprendia mirti, Velnias ir panel Prim, Alchemikas,
Rankratis rastas Akroje) parayti brazil autoriaus Paulo Koeljo). Suradus netikrj
draug poras pasirinkt knyg anglikose ir rusikose versijose, buvo sitikinta, kad dalies
netikrj draug nesieja jokios reikms ir pasirinkti vertj odiai skiriasi, bet buvo
atitikta ir dalinai netikrj draug (kurie yra sutinkami daniau negu absoliuts netikrieji
draugai), kurie daugumoje atvej buvo tinkamai iversti usienio kalb.
Ianalizavus skirting kalbos mokslinink teorijas bei inagrinjus pavyzdius pasirinktoje
groinje literatroje, matyti, kad "netikrj draug" fenomenas yra svarbi kalbos mokslo
ataka, kuri yra btina sutelkti kalb besimokani bei versti norini moni dmes.

31