Questions about the False Cognates poster

What’s on the False Cognates poster?

A definition and 6 facts worth remembering. Words in two languages that resemble each other by coincidence or by drift, without sharing the ancestor their similarity implies. English 'much' and Spanish 'mucho' are unrelated despite meaning the same.; English 'have' and Latin 'habere' are not cognates.; Some false friends were once true cognates that diverged.; Learners over-trust resemblance precisely because it usually works.; Cross-language interference is strongest between related languages.; Checking a dictionary is faster than the resulting confusion.; Best test — a dictionary; Riskiest — close languages; Spanish 'embarazada' means pregnant, not embarrassed. The resemblance is coincidence.. The closer two languages are, the more false friends there are — and the more confidently learners fall for them.

Who is the False Cognates poster for?

False Cognates belongs to the Languages section rather than to a school year, because languages is not something one grade owns. Anyone learning how languages work can pin it up — a beginner, a student mid-course, or someone revising years later.

When should you use the False Cognates poster?

A false friend is a false cognate you keep believing in. A wall chart earns its place by being glanceable from where the work is happening, so False Cognates belongs on the wall where that languages work actually happens, within glancing distance, rather than filed away.

What other posters go with False Cognates?

Bilingualism, Grammatical Case and Code-Switching sit alongside False Cognates in the Languages section. Printed together they make a wall rather than a single sheet, which is how a reference set actually gets used.BilingualismGrammatical CaseCode-Switching

Is the False Cognates poster free to download and print?

Yes. False Cognates downloads as a free PDF with no account, no email and no watermark, like everything else in the Languages section. Print as many copies as you like for a home, a classroom, a library or a tutoring group; reselling the file is the only thing the licence rules out.Read the licence

What size does the False Cognates poster print at?

False Cognates is a vector PDF laid out for US Letter, and prints on A4 with Fit to page — the same file, no separate download. Because every mark on it is drawn rather than photographed, it stays sharp enlarged to A3, A2 or A1 at a copy shop. Colour carries emphasis only, so a greyscale print of False Cognates loses nothing.Printing guide