False Friends of the Slavist/Upper Sorbian

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Wikipedia

Hornjoserbšćina (Upper Sorbian)

(c. 25 000 native speakers)

Słowjanscy wopačni přećeljo w Hornjoserbšćinje

listopad	is a complete false friend for about 283.5 million native speakers of Russian, Slovak, Croatian, Bosnian, Serbian, Macedonian, Bulgarian; has additional meanings in the language of about 77 million native speakers of Belarusian, Ukrainian, Czech, Slovenian.	map
	The Upper Sorbian meaning ‘November’ is shared by Blr. лістапад, Ukr. листопад, Pol. listopad, Cz. listopad, Sln. listopad. The meaning ‘October’ (oktober, winowc) is attested in Cr. listopad. The meaning ‘falling of leaves’ (lisćopad) is attested in R. листопад, Blr. лістапад, Ukr. листопад, Cz. listopad, Slk. listopad, Sln. listopad, Cr. listopad, Bo. listopad, Sb. листопад, Mk. листопад, Bg. листопад.
	[NB: No information yet for Ka., LSo.]

Serb	is a complete false friend for about 250 million native speakers of Russian.	map
	The Upper Sorbian meaning ‘Sorb’ is unique. The meaning ‘Serb’ (južny Serb) is attested in R. серб.
	[NB: No information yet for Blr., Ukr., Pol., Ka., LSo., Cz., Slk., Sln., Cr., Bo., Sb., Mk., Bg.]

serbski	is a complete false friend for about 250 million native speakers of Russian.	map
	The Upper Sorbian meaning ‘Sorbian (Lusatian)’ is unique. The meaning ‘Serbian’ (serbiski) is attested in R. сербский.
	[NB: No information yet for Blr., Ukr., Pol., Ka., LSo., Cz., Slk., Sln., Cr., Bo., Sb., Mk., Bg.]

słowjenski	is a complete false friend for about 28 million native speakers of Czech, Slovak, Serbian, Macedonian; is a true friend for about 350.5 million native speakers of Russian, Belarusian, Ukrainian, Polish, Kashubian, Lower Sorbian, Slovenian, Croatian, Bosnian, Bulgarian.	map
	The Upper Sorbian meaning ‘Slovenian’ is shared by R. словенский, Blr. славенскі, Ukr. словінський, Pol. słoweński, Ka. słowensczi, LSo. słowjeński, Sln. slovenski, Cr. slovenski, Bo. slovenski, Bg. словенски. The meaning ‘Slovak’ (słowakski) is attested in Cz. slovenský, Slk. slovenský. The meaning ‘Slavonic’ (słowjanski) is attested in Sb. словенски, Mk. словенски.
	[NB: Information complete.]

More Upper Sorbian-Slavonic false friends: R. Leszczyński. Hornjoserbsko-polski i polsko-hornjoserbski słownik pozdatnych ekwiwalentów. Górnołużycko-polski i polsko-górnołużycki słownik ekwiwalentów pozornych. Warszawa 1996.

For additional information on false friends, see the On-line hypertext bibliography by Daniel Bunčić and Ryszard Lipczuk.

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