pseudo-logical

Pseudo-anglicism

Pseudo-anglicisms are words in languages other than English which were borrowed from English but are used in a way native English speakers would not readily recognize or understand. Pseudo-anglicisms often take the form of portmanteau words, combining elements of multiple English words to create a new word that appears to be English but is unrecognisable to a native speaker. It is also common for a genuine English word to be used to mean something completely different from its original meaning.

Pseudo-anglicisms are related to false friends or false cognates. Many speakers of a language which employs pseudo-anglicisms believe that the relevant words are genuine anglicisms and can be used in English.

When many English words are incorporated into many languages, language enthusiasts and purists often look down on this phenomenon, terming it (depending on the importing language) Denglisch, Franglais or similar neologisms.

Pseudo-anglicisms in various languages

Chinese

BB call — pager
DM — flyer, brochure, junk mail (from "direct mail")
kǎo — to photocopy (from the first syllable in "copy")

Danish

Babylift (b̥eɪb̥ilifd̥) — "carrycot".
A bøfsandwich (b̥ø:fsɑnʋitɕ) is not a beef sandwich, but a beef patty on a bun (similar to a hamburger).

Dutch

Beamer (also in German) — video projector
Box — (large, toddler-sized) cot
Camper (also in Italian) — recreational vehicle (RV) or campervan
Camping (also in other European languages) — campsite
Coffee shop — a store selling cannabis (or, colloquially, other psychedelic drugs)
Drugs refers exclusively to narcotics (not to medicines in general)
Dumpstore meaning an army surplus store
The word flat is often used to refer to a block of flats. What the British call "flat" is called appartement in Dutch.
Fitness (also in many other European languages) — fitness training as a kind of gymnastics
Happy end (also in other European languages) — happy ending
Junk — a drug addict (in English that would be Junkie)
Oldtimer (also in German) — vintage car
Panty (also in Spanish) — pantyhose
Playbacken — lip-synch (in songs)
Pocketboek or just Pocket for what is commonly known as a paperback
Skeeleren — inline skating. Sometimes the 5 wheel speedskates are called 'skeelers' in Dutch.
Skelter — a pedal-driven soapbox (car)
Smoking (also in many other European languages) is not a smoking jacket in the Edwardian sense, but a dinner jacket or tuxedo
Songtekst ("tekst" being a native Dutch word) (also in German) — lyrics
String (also in French, German and Russian) refers exclusively to a G-string
Topfit (also in German) — perfectly physically fit

French

Autostop (also in other European languages) — hitch-hiking
Baby Foot — Table football
Basket (also in Italian) — basketball
Baskets (also in Romanian) — sneakers, trainers (basketball shoes)
Body (for infants) (also in Italian and Spanish) — onesie
Box (also in Italian) — garage
un Break — a station wagon (American English) or estate car (British English) - cf. shooting break
Brushing — blow dry
Caddie (kaˈdi) — shopping trolley
Camping (also in other European languages) — campsite
Camping-car (also in Japanese) — Campervan or "recreational vehicle"
Car (also in Swiss German) — coach
Catch — professional wrestling.
Chamallow — Marshmallow
Chips — potato chips
Clip — (Music) video
Dancing (also in Italian) — dance hall or dancing-house
Dressing — dressing room
Fitness (also in many other European languages) — fitness training as a kind of gymnastics
Flipper (also in Dutch, German and Italian) — pinball machine
Foot — Football (soccer) (In Canadian French, this would refer to Canadian football, or sometimes in context to American football. Association football is le soccer.)
Footing (also in Italian and Spanish) — jogging
Jogging — Tracksuit (jogging suit)
Just (adj.) (ˈdʒəst) — tight
Lifting (also in Italian, Romanian and Spanish) — facelift
Living — living room
Mail (also in Italian) — e-mail
Newsbreak — news update
Parking (also in Italian, Spanish and Russian) — parking lot (car park)
Penalty (also in Italian) — penalty kick (in football)
People — celebs (sometimes spelt pipeuls, pipols)
Playback (also in many other European languages) — lip-synch (in songs)
Pressing — dry cleaning shop
Pull — pullover
Recordman, recordwoman (also in Italian) — record holder in sports
Relooking — makeover
Rugbyman — rugby player
Rumsteak or rumsteck or romsteck — rump steak
Scotch (also in Italian and Russian) — Sellotape
Self — self-service restaurant
Sig (in cartoons) — sigh
Shampooing (ʃɑ̃.pwɛ̃) — shampoo
Slip (also in Italian and Spanish) — briefs
Smoking (also in many other European languages) is not a smoking jacket in the Edwardian sense, but a dinner jacket or tuxedo
Speaker or Speakerine — radio or TV news announcer
String (also in Dutch, German and Russian) refers exclusively to a G-string
Talkie-walkie — walkie-talkie
Tennisman, tenniswoman - Tennis player (male or female)
Ticket Restaurant™ (also in Italian) - meal ticket
Top (adj.) — brilliant, great
Trench (also in Italian) — trench coat
Volley (vɔː.le) (also in Italian) — volleyball
Zapping (also in Italian) — channel surfing

German

Air-Condition — abbreviated from Air conditioning
Backshop — a bakeshop
Beamer (also in Dutch) — video projector
Beauty-Farm (also in Italian) — spa
Bodybag — backpack (ironically, English has imported the German word Rucksack)
Body — leotard
checken — understand, realize
Car (Switzerland only; also in French)) — coach
catchen — professional wrestling (from "catch wrestling")
Dressman (also in Dutch) — (male) model
Ego-Shooter — first-person shooter (derived from Latin "Ego" = "I")
Fitness (also in many other European languages) — fitness training as a kind of gymnastics
Flipper (also in Dutch, French and Italian) — pinball machine
Foto-Shooting — photo session
Funeralmaster — undertaker
Funsport — a sport primarily practised in leisure time and for fun
Handy — mobile phone
Happy end (also in other European languages) — happy ending
Horrortrip — bad trip (psychedelic crisis)
Highboard — table-high cupboard
Inliner — Rollers (shoes) (not strictly a pseudo-anglicism as the sport is also called 'inline skating' in English)
Logical — riddle/puzzle to be solved by logical thought
Longseller — long-term (best)seller
Oldtimer (also in Dutch) — vintage car
Pullunder — sweater vest
Puzzle (also in French, Spanish, Italian and Dutch) — jigsaw puzzle
Rocker — biker
Shooting-Star — successful newcomer
Smoking (also in many other European languages) is not a smoking jacket in the Edwardian sense, but a dinner jacket or tuxedo
Songtext ("Text" being a native German word) (also in Dutch) — 'lyrics'
Showmaster — show host
String (also in Dutch, French and Russian) refers exclusively to a G-string
Talkmaster — talk show host
Topfit (also in Dutch) — perfectly physically fit
Twen — anyone who is in his/her twenties, or the age itself
Wellness — feeling well by expensive means (spa, ...)

Hungarian

Autóstop (also in other European languages) — hitchhiking
Farmer means "denim" as well as "(blue) jeans" made of denim
Happy end (also in other European languages) — happy ending
Playback (also in many other European languages) — lip-synch (in songs)
Wellness — feeling well by expensive means

Israeli Hebrew

On de feys ‘(feeling) very bad’, cf. the otherwise non-existent English *on the face.
Tréning 'tracksuit', cf. English training

Italian

Autogrill™ — motorway snack bar
Autostop (also in other European languages) — hitchhiking
Baby killer — juvenile murderer
Bar — café
Basket (also in French) — basketball
Beauty case or Beauty — vanity bag
Beauty farm (also in German) — spa
Body (for dancing) — leotard
Body (for infants) (also in French and Spanish) — onesie
Body rental - temporary staffing firm
Box (for vehicles) (also in French) — garage
Box (for toddlers) — playpen
Box (in Formula 1) — pits in a racetrack where pit stops are conducted
Box doccia — shower cubicle
Camper (also in Dutch) — recreational vehicle (RV) or campervan
Camping (also in other European languages) — campsite
Catch — professional wrestling, even though it is considered to be old-fashioned
Cargo — cargo boat
Charleston (instrument) — Hi-hat
Custom — custom motorcycle
Dancing (also in French) — dance hall or dancing-house
Feeling "'personal chemistry, common bond' (According to linguist Ghil'ad Zuckermann, this pseudo-anglicism might have "been influenced by Italian fili ‘threads’ (plural of Italian filo ‘thread’). Italian feeling is used in Italian pop music, for example in the song Pensami per te (‘Think about me for your sake’) (by Cogliati/Ciani/Cassano), sung by Anna Oxa, which includes Tra di noi c’é uno strano feeling che ci lega ormai ‘Between us there is a strange feeling that binds us by now’.)
Fiction — TV miniseries
Fitness (also in many other European languages) — fitness training as a kind of gymnastics
Flipper (also in Dutch, French and German) — pinball machine
Footing (also in French and Spanish) — jogging
Golf — sweater
Happy end (also in other European languages) — happy ending
Hostess — female flight attendant, stewardess
Jolly — joker or wild card (card games)
K-Way™ — Windbreaker
Killer (also in Russian) — hitman, contract killer
Lifting (also in French, Romanian and Spanish) — facelift
Luna park — funfair
Mail (also in French) — e-mail
Mister (in football) — coach
Montgomery — duffel coat
Night — nightclub
Parking (also in French, Spanish and Russian) — parking lot (car park)
Penalty (also in French) — penalty kick (in football)
Playback (also in many other European languages) — lip-synch (in songs)
Pressing (in sport) — forcing
Pullman — coach
Puzzle — jigsaw puzzle
Recordman (also in French) — record holder in sports
Scotch (also in French and Russian) — Sellotape
Sexy shop — sex shop
Skilift — platter lift
Slip (also in French and Spanish) — briefs
Smoking (ˈzmɔkiɲg) (also in many other European languages) is not a smoking jacket in the Edwardian sense, but a dinner jacket or tuxedo
Speaker — radio announcer
Telefilm — TV series
Ticket — cost associated to a service provided by national health care system
Ticket Restaurant™ (also in French) — meal ticket
Tight — morning suit
Toast (ˈtɔst) — toasted sandwich
Trench (also in French) — trench coat
Trolley — trolley case
Tutor or Safety tutor — SPECS (speed camera)
Volley (ˈvɔllei) (also in French) — volleyball
Water (ˈvater) — water closet
Zapping (ˈdzapping) (also in French) — channel surfing

Japanese

— title for a person in office
— video game, portmanteau of "family" and "computer"
— a condominium apartment
— luxury apartment (a pun in comparison with "mansion", since the Japanese oku means 10⁸ compared to man which is 10⁴)
— slim or skinny
— a woman's figure (particularly if slim or skinny)

Polish

Autostop (also in other European languages) — hitchhiking
Fitness (also in many other European languages) — fitness training as a kind of gymnastics
Happy end (also in other European languages) — happy ending
Smoking (also in many other European languages) is not a smoking jacket in the Edwardian sense, but a dinner jacket or tuxedo

Portuguese

Cooper — To jog.
Shopping — Shopping mall, using the English gerund as a noun
Smoking (also in many other European languages) is not a smoking jacket in the Edwardian sense, but a dinner jacket or tuxedo. However in Brazilian Portuguese, its name is tuxedo /tu'ʃɛdu/.
"Videogame" - (Brazilian Portuguese) Game console, although the term "console" is also used. The videogames themselves are simply called "games", "jogos" (the standard translation for "game") or less ambiguously "jogos de videogame" (Console games).

Romanian

Autostop (also in other European languages) — hitchhiking
Camping (also in other European languages) — campsite
Lifting (also in Italian, French and Spanish) — facelift

Russian

Autostop (Автостоп) (also in other European languages) — hitchhiking
Biker (байкер) — a member of a Motorcycle club rather than merely a motorcyclist
Camping (Кемпинг) (also in other European languages) — campsite
Clipmaker (клипмейкер) — music video director
Face control (фейс-контроль) — checking whether a person looks appropriate (a common practice at Russian night clubs)
Happy end (Хэппи-энд) (also in other European languages) — happy ending
Killer (киллер) (also in Italian) — hitman, contract killer
Parking (паркинг) (also in French and Spanish) — parking lot (car park)
Safing (сейфинг) — providing safe deposit boxes
Scotch (скотч) (also in French and Italian) — Sellotape
String (Стринги)(also in Dutch, French and German) refers exclusively to a G-string

Spanish

Body (for infants) (also in Italian and French) — onesie
Camping (also in other European languages) — campsite
Clip — music video
Cola-less (at least in Rioplatense Spanglish) — G-string (in South American Spanish-language countries, cola is a slang for buttocks).
Fitness (also in many other European languages) — fitness training as a kind of gymnastics
Footing (also in French and Italian) — jogging
Jingle — advertising
Lifting (also in Italian, Romanian and French) — facelift
Parking (common use but still not recognized by RAE, also in French and Russian) — parking lot (US) or car park (UK, Aus)
Panty (also in Dutch) or panti — pantyhose
Playback (also in many other European languages) — lip-synch (in songs)
Puzzle (also in French, Italian and German) — jigsaw puzzle
Slip (also in French and Italian) — briefs
Snow (common use but still not recognized by RAE) — an abbreviation for "snowboard" as sport. The board is called tabla de snow

Swedish

Smoking (also in many other European languages) is not a smoking jacket in the Edwardian sense, but a dinner jacket or tuxedo
Trafficking refers primarily to trafficking in human beings or sex trafficking, and not to smuggling in general.
The word walkman is usually replaced with "freestyle" (despite the fact that the word does not fit particularly well with Swedish phonotactics or grammar; actually, freestyle was the name chosen for marketing purposes in Sweden)

Turkish

Autostop (also in other European languages) — hitchhiking
Body — bodybuilding
Cola (derivated from Coca-Cola) refers to a soft drink
Fitness (also in many other European languages) — fitness training as a kind of gymnastics
Flirting is generally used as dating
Goal position in football means "scoring chance"
Playback (also in many other European languages) — lip-synch (in songs)

Sources

James Stanlaw 2004, Japanese English: Language And The Culture Contact, Hong Kong University Press.
Laura Miller 1997, "Wasei eigo: English ‘loanwords' coined in Japan" in The Life of Language: Papers in Linguistics in Honor of William Bright, edited by Jane Hill, P.J. Mistry and Lyle Campbell, Mouton/De Gruyter: The Hague, pp. 123–139.
Geoff Parkes and Alan Cornell 1992, 'NTC's Dictionary of German False Cognates', National Textbook Company, NTC Publishing Group.
Ghil'ad Zuckermann 2003, ‘‘Language Contact and Lexical Enrichment in Israeli Hebrew’’, Houndmills: Palgrave Macmillan, (Palgrave Studies in Language History and Language Change, Series editor: Charles Jones). ISBN 1-4039-1723-X.