Italian False Friends / Edition 2

by Ronnie Ferguson, R. Ferguson

Overview

Italian words that resemble words in English but have different meanings are the cause of student bafflement and some hilariously mistaken usage. Examples of falsi amici that continue to amuse teachers of Italian include casino, which is a brothel or mess, not a gambling place, and intossicazione, which is food poisoning, not intoxication. Ronnie Ferguson has confronted the much-neglected problem of ‘false friends,' or deceptive cognates, with a dictionary which makes it possible for the student of Italian to alert her- or himself to the pitfalls. Accurate translation, essay work, and comprehension hinge on the confident handling of key words prone to incorrect interpretation, and Italian False Friends will be a useful tool to assist students to improve their proficiency in these areas.

This book is an excellent companion volume to Interferenze Lessicali:Italiano-inglese, the practical teaching workbook with drills and exercises by Marina Sasu Frescura published earlier in the series. Italian False Friends is effectively illustrated with samples from newspapers, magazines, street signs, and books.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780802069481
Publisher:	University of Toronto Press, Scholarly Publishing Division
Publication date:	10/28/1994
Series:	Toronto Italian Studies Series
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	138
Product dimensions:	8.32(w) x 10.82(h) x 0.31(d)

About the Author

Ronnie Ferguson is Head, Italian Studies, Department of Modern Languages, Lancaster University, Lancaster, England.