cognater

Cognater is a term used in linguistics and cognitive science to refer to a word in one language that has a similar sound and meaning to a word in another language. These similarities can arise through several mechanisms. One common source is shared ancestry, where both words are descendants of a common proto-word from an ancestral language. For example, the English word "father" and the German word "Vater" both derive from the Proto-Indo-European word *ph₂tḗr.

Another way cognates can emerge is through borrowing. One language may adopt a word from another, and over time, its pronunciation and spelling may evolve. The English word "information" and the French word "information" are cognates, with the English word being borrowed from French.

Distinguishing true cognates from false cognates is important. False cognates are words in different languages that look or sound similar but have unrelated origins and meanings. For instance, the English word "gift" (meaning a present) and the German word "Gift" (meaning poison) are false cognates. Identifying true cognates helps in understanding language relationships, reconstructing historical linguistic connections, and aiding in language learning by leveraging existing knowledge. The study of cognates is a fundamental aspect of historical linguistics and comparative philology.