FALSE FRIENDS AND DISTANT COUSINS: LATIN ROOTS, ENGLISH-SPANISH

 

It is commonly estimated that about 45 percent of English vocabulary is Latin in origin. This makes the Romance languages, in a manner of speaking, second cousins to English, and an advantage for understanding more formal or learned registers. There is, however, a caveat, and we must tread carefully before rushing into translation or interpretation. Consider two examples. The Latin appositus gives English apposite, meaning ‘fit’ or ‘suitable’, while in Spanish the same root yields apósito, ‘dressing’ or ‘bandage’. Likewise, Latin nescius (‘ignorant’) eventually became English nice, whereas in Spanish it retains its original sense in necio, ‘silly’ or ‘foolish’. These may seem quaint developments, but they are worth bearing in mind—especially for the more pedantic among bilingual students of communication.