An approach to the lexical ambiguity caused by false cognates in Spanish L2. A corpus-based exploratory study

Abstract

This exploratory study aims to offer new insights into the lexical ambiguity in the interlanguage arising from the use of false cognates. The study is based on written texts from two learners' corpora. Utterances including false cognates were retrieved from both corpora and presented to two groups of native speakers who assessed their correctness and stated whether or not they were ambiguous. While the first group was informed beforehand that the sentences had been produced by non-native speakers (as well as the meaning of the false cognates in their L1), the second group had no information regarding the speakers who wrote them. The goal of this analysis is to shed light on the different perceptions that can arise from native vs. non-native speakers' productions, focusing on lexical ambiguity.