LL-L "False friends" 2004.06.10 (02) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

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L O W L A N D S - L * 10.JUN.2004 (02) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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A=Afrikaans Ap=Appalachian B=Brabantish D=Dutch E=English F=Frisian
L=Limburgish LS=Lowlands Saxon (Low German) N=Northumbrian
S=Scots Sh=Shetlandic V=(West)Flemish Z=Zeelandic (Zeêuws)
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From: Sandy Fleming <sandy at scotstext.org>
Subject: "False friends" [E]

> From: Sandy Fleming <sandy at scotstext.org>
> Subject: "False friends" [E]
>
> > grape (in Scots this means "garden fork").
> > greet (in Scots this means "weep").
> > fit (in Scots this means "foot").
> > gate (in Scots this means "road, way").
> > soup (in Scots this means "sweep").
> > girdle (in Scots this means "griddle").
> > shiver (in Scots this means "cold sore" - Scots for "shiver" would be
> > "chitter").
> > law (in Scots this means an isolated or dominant conical hill).
> > steer (in Scots this means "stir").
> > clap (in Scots this means "to pet").
> > canny (in Scots this means "calm, easy, laid back" - different from
> > Northumbrian).
> > braid (in Scots this means "broad").
> > lie (in Scots this means "a pool of stagnant water in a field").
>
> chap (in Scots this means "to knock").
> knock (in Scots this means "clock").
> clock (in Scots this means "beetle").
> slider (in Scots this means "ice-cream wafer").
> slap (in Scots this means "a gap in a dyke or hedge" - while a "slap" is a
> "skelp" in Scots).
> rift (in Scots this means "to burp").
> flee (in Scots this means "a fly" - while a "flea" is a "flech" [flE:x] in
> Scots).

I also just realised that there are a lot of English-Scots false friends of
the type commonly found between English and French, ie not necessarily
spelled or pronounce the same but cleary cognates and so causing learners to
guess the meaning wrongly:

mince pie: in English, a Christmas pie with sweet filling, in Scots an
everyday savoury pie filled with minced beef.

pancakes: in English, large thin pancakes made by frying and tossing, in
Scots small thick pancakes made by dropping batter on a griddle.

teacakes: in English, a kind of currant bun, in Scots, biscuit with a
marshmallow on top covered in chocolate.

brummles (brambles): in Scots, refers to the fruit (blackberry) as well as
the plant.

glammer (glamour): in Scots, means "magic".

fear: in Scots, means "to frighten", (eg "dinna fear the horse", "I'm no
feared fae you.")

feel: in Scots means "to smell" (but this usage is unusual these days).

finnd (find): in Scots means "to feel" (but again, this usage is unusual
these days).

man: in Scots means "husband" as well as "man".

wife: in Scots means "woman" as well as "wife".

We also have words whose usage is like some other language, rather than the
English usage, eg:

"dout" [du?]: used like the French "doute" rather than English "doubt".

"seek": used like the Dutch "ziek" rather than the English "sick".

Talking about false friends between closely related languages, there are
surely false friends between different forms of English? Eg British
English/American English "bum", "alternate", "fag", "vest", "pants",
"rubber", etc.

Sandy
http://scotstext.org/

----------

From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: False friends

Thanks, Sandy!

The following for North Saxon dialects of Lowlands Saxon (Low German, < > =
German-style spelling):

> brummles (brambles): in Scots, refers to the fruit (blackberry) as well as
the plant.

generic, berries or plant: brummel(s) ~ brommel(s) ~ brammel(s)
berries: brummelbeer ~ brommelbeer ~ brammelbeer (pl. ...beren)
plant: brummeldourn ~ brommeldourn ~ brammeldourn (<...doorn>, pl. ...döyrn
<...döörn>), dourn 'thorn')

> > > grape (in Scots this means "garden fork").
greep [gre:p]  'handle'

> man: in Scots means "husband" as well as "man".
man 'man', 'husband'

> wife: in Scots means "woman" as well as "wife".
wyv (<Wief> [vi:f], pl. wyver <Wiever> ['vi:v3]) 'woman' (now archaic, under
German influence derogatory), 'wife'

> "seek": used like the Dutch "ziek" rather than the English "sick".
süyk ~ syk (<süük> ~ <siek> [zy:k] ~ [zi:k]) 'ill', 'unwell'
-> s(ü)ykenhuus (['zy:kNhu:s] ~ [zi:kNhu:s]) 'hospital' (huus 'house')

syk (<Siek> [zi:k], pl. syken <Sieken> ['zi:kN]) '(small) valley', 'dell',
'dip' ,'hollow'

Of course, there are lots of false friends between LS and English
(especially dialects of Southeastern England and of Australia and New
Zealand).  The following barely scratches the surface.

schyt (<Schiet>, like "sheet") 'excrement', 'dirt'
poul (<Pool>, like "pole") 'pool'
baar ([bQ:], like "bar") 'bare', 'naked'; 'bear' (animal)
kop (<Kopp>, like "cop") 'head'
steyn (<Steen>, like "stain") 'stone', 'rock'
beyn (Been>, like "bane") 'leg'
bark (<Bark>, like 'bark') 'birch' (but also 'bark of a tree'), 'barge'
beer (<Beer>, like 'bear') 'berry'; 'bore' (pig); 'beer'; 'pear'
byt! (<biet!>, like "beat!") 'bite!'
blyd' (<blied>, like 'bleed') 'happy', 'glad', 'friendly'
buk (<Buck>, like "book") 'buck'
schuut (<Schuut>, like "shoot", "chute") 'barge'
put (<Putt>, like "put") 'pot'
schört (<Schört>, like "shirt") 'apron'
schoul (<School>, like "shoal") 'school'
ryk (<riek>, like "reek") 'rich'
ryk (<Riek>, like "reek") 'realm'
ney (<nee>, like "nay") 'new'
kok (<Kock>, like "cock") 'cook' (worker)
hil (<hill>, like "hill>) 'urgent', 'in a hurry', 'busy'
hil (<Hill>, like "hill") 'storage room in a barn'
heyl (<heel>, like "hail") 'whole'; 'quite', 'very'
deyl (<Deel>, like 'dale') 'deal', 'part'
moud (<Moot>, like "moat") 'mood'; 'courage'
spittel (<Spittel>, like "spittle") 'puny guy'
kark (<Kark>, like "cark") 'church'
luun (<Luun>, like "loon") 'mood'
lok (<Lock>, like "lock") 'hole'
lyv (<Lief>, like "leaf") 'body'
lyk (<Liek>, like "leak", "leek") 'corpse', 'cadaver'
lid (<Lidd>, like "lid") 'member', 'link'
klot (<Klott>, like "clot") 'cap'
gil (<Gill>, like "gill") 'guild'
bloud (<Bloot>, like "bloat") 'blood'
luus (<Luus>, like "loose") 'louse'
pyl (<Piel>, like "peel") 'arrow'
pyr (<Pier>, like "peer", "pier") '(sand) worm', 'earthworm'
Pyp (<Piep>, like "peep") 'pipe', 'flute'
vyr (<Fier>, like "fear") 'party', 'festivity'
viddel (<Fiddel>, like "fiddle") 'loose woman', 'messy woman'

Etc. ...

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron

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