Semantics and Pragmatics of False Friends

This book approaches the topic of false friends from a theoretical perspective, arguing that false friends carry out a positive role as a cognitive device, mainly in literature and jokes, and suggesting some pragmatic strategies in order to restore the original sense of a text/utterance when a given translator (or a foreign speaker) falls victim to false friends. This theoretical account is successively verified by appealing to texts from the fields of literature, science, philosophy, journalism, and everyday speech.

List of contents

Acknowledgments. Introduction 1. Clearing the Terrain 2. Synonymy, Polysemy and Homonymy 3. Semantics of False Friends: Borrowings, Calques and Inheritances 4. Semantics of False Friends: Tropical False Friends 5. Pragmatics of False Friends 6. Main theses Exposed and Conclusions. Notes. Bibliography. Index

About the author

Pedro J. Chamizo Domínguez lectures in Philosophy of Language at The University of Malaga (Spain). He has published five books and several papers in Spanish, Slovakian, English, and French.

Summary

This book approaches the topic of false friends from a theoretical perspective, arguing that false friends carry out a positive role as a cognitive device, mainly in literature and jokes, and suggesting some pragmatic strategies in order to restore the original sense of a text/utterance when a given translator (or a foreign speaker) falls victim to false friends.

Product details

• Authors: Pedro J. Chamizo-Dominguez, Pedro J. (University of Malaga Chamizo-Dominguez, Pedro J Chamizo-Domínguez, Pedro J. Chamizo-Domínguez
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd.
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 09.11.2010
• EAN: 9780415887885
• ISBN: 978-0-415-88788-5
• No. of pages: 200
• Series: Routledge Studies in Linguistics
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Linguistics and literary studies > Other languages / Other literatures; LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES / General, LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES / Linguistics / General, LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES / Linguistics / Semantics, Sociolinguistics, Bilingualism & multilingualism, Semantics, discourse analysis, stylistics, Bilingualism and multilingualism, Semantics, discourse analysis, etc