False friends (FF) pose a significant challenge in foreign language learning due to their potential for interlinguistic interference, also supporting the non-selective language access hypothesis in bilinguals. Note that in this context, bilingualism is broadly understood as a continuum that encompasses both L2 speakers and those who have complete mastery of two distinct language systems. The said hypothesis is bolstered by neuroimaging evidence showing that the mental representations of bilinguals’ two languages are integrated and exhibit a non-selective, parallel language activation. While a lack of the inhibitory control over one language is acknowledged as a potential source of errors for learners, these lexical items are not usually systematically covered in the classroom or in textbooks. Despite the difficulties posed by FF and their neglect in teaching materials, research on their most effective pedagogical approaches is limited, especially, to our knowledge at least, from the perspective of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) for Italians.

The present study on FF is part of a broader project on the informalisation of English language learning through the media (Prin 2020NNJTW3), which ultimately seeks to ascertain the correlation between extramural contact with L2 English and language input, learning outcomes and sociolinguistic attitudes from an Italian perspective. In fact, the goal of our research is to explore the possible impact of different types of contact with English on the learning of FF, starting with a focus on the formal one, to pave the way for the investigation of the possible effect of informal encounters. In the present contribution, we attempted to answer several questions: To what extent are English FF actually known by Italian learners? To what degree does the learners’ proficiency level reflect the knowledge of FF? And do learners perform better depending on the schools they attended?

The study is based on data collected through several tests and a questionnaire exploring learners’ backgrounds and their habits of contact with English. Participants were undergraduate students in the humanities. This stage of the research focuses on correlations derived from the interplay of the following aspects:
1) verification of informants’ English proficiency level using the Oxford Placement Test (OPT),
2) assessment of their knowledge of a sample of FF via a specifically devised test called False Friends Vocabulary Test (FFVT),
3) collection of selected information from the questionnaire regarding participants’ formal education. Initial findings indicate a positive moderate non-linear correlation between the proficiency level obtained through the OPT and scores on the FFVT.

This suggests that higher proficiency levels generally correspond to better knowledge of FF. However, this correlation cannot be interpreted as predictive of superior performance in this lexical area. Conversely, correlations between FF knowledge and formal language courses show a positive but extremely weak correlation. These results can therefore be understood as non-linear and non-significant suggesting that FF might need targeted teaching approaches to contrast the automatic non-selective mechanisms of bilingual language processing. Actually, informal contact may also play a significant role, a matter we will investigate in the next stage of our research.

Keywords: False Friends, Second Language Learning, Education.