Thomas R Jefferys wrote:

(Shakes head _very_ profusely)
*BZZZZZZZT!*
Sorry, both you and your professors were (almost) wrong. You might have
been "pounded" with this meaning of a cognate by those professors, but _I_
took a linguistics course. _I_ know what I'm talking about. Your professors
missed one thing that makes "baka" and "vaca" not cognates.

Sorry for my ignorance, I only have a minor in linguistics in my
undergrad and 
one graduate course.

True cognates are words in a language derived from the _same root_! (that's
why they're almost the same in meaning. Usually) False cognates are as you
say, but they also must be formed from completely different roots. And
there is a qualifier:

THE LANGUAGES MUST BE FROM THE SAME FAMILY and/or THEY MUST BORROW ROOTS
FROM ONE ANOTHER.

What you are hitting on here is actually something that came up in an 
"interdepartmental war" a couple of years ago that I had the misfortune
to witness. Basically what it comes down to is nothing more than a
devate over the validity of academic slang. Yes, the technical usage of
the term does require that the two languages borrow roots. However, the
term has long been used as a catchall for "two words from different
languages with similar pronounciations but no similar root or meaning."
Yes my usage of the term is "riding the ragged edge" academically, over
the previous use of it by language professionals gives me some leeway to
do so (If such an argument works in thesis defence, it works for me.)
Really what I am trying to say is that I still say I was correct in my
usage of the term, however your argument against it is also valid. The
primary useage of "false cognate" in this way is from language teachers 
trying to discourage students from assuming relationships between words
where they do not exist. Anyway, sorry for clinging to this argument,
but as I said, such ummm.... cavalier uses of other departments
erminology was one of the main points in the great "cold war" between 
elements of several departments during my undergrad years, and since
both my majors and two of my minors were in involved departments I
managed to get caught up in a lot of it and finally dexided that, if at
least one discipline accepts a usage that I have no problems using it
that way (someone is going to hate me no matter how I use it so why
worry?). In the end though, I was wrong and right and Mr. Jefferys was
right and right. The moral is that academic slang can get you into as
much or more reouble than any other slang. So, after all of this
rhwtoric I am wishing that I had just kept my mouth shut and my
parenthetical smartass asides to myself.


Sigh... I guess I am doomed to go down in FFML infamy as "the obnoxious
know it all who started the linguistics war." I'm reeeeeealllly sorry
everyone, my intent was to be funny not to prove how much I know or how
great I am (the apology extends to you as well Mr. Jefferys, I was not
trying to imply that you were wrong, but that I was not completely
wrong.) I tried to answer someone's question and make a few smartass
remarks, and managed to make a complete ass out of myself. I am really
sorry if I've come accross as a know it all ass, I am an excessively shy
person and sometimes (more often than not lately it seems) babble on or
overdo when I try to answer questions and such and the end result seems
to be me being misunderstood or sticking my foot in my mouth. I truly,
sincerely apologize for this and for the massive spammage my posts have
produced this week. I swear I didn't come here just to annoy everyone...
really. Now I'm off to take my punishment. I volunteer to be both Akane
and Kodachi's test subject in the kitchen for the next month.

C-chan 
no BAKA!!!!