False friends have a bad rap for getting language learners into all kinds of embarrassing situations and miscommunication muddles. It’s no secret that languages are interconnected and this can be both a source of joy and anguish when it comes to language learning. Joy because of the light bulb moments making linguistic connections bring; anguish because of linguistic interference and the pain of having to unlearn misleading words and linguistic patterns.

We will tap into translations from 140+ languages from the uTalk Learn Any Language app to trace the journeys of words which have crossed countries and cultures resulting in language cognates. Come prepared to chuckle at a false friend anecdote or two as part of the discovery of linguistic links between languages through everyday conversation topics such as clothes, colours, countries and food to name a few.

Whatever language(s) you speak this talk promises you a light bulb moment of your own as we investigate calques, semantic shift and etymology which will help you to max out on the joy that making linguistic connections bring when learning new languages, even – yes, even! – including when that means having to face false friends!

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The Language Event
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