English is the most widely spoken language in the world, with the total number of speakers — both native and nonnative — estimated at around 1.5 billion. English words have even been adopted into other languages, but not always in the way native speakers expect. Many languages have borrowed English words and given them entirely new meanings, creating what linguists call pseudo-anglicisms. These linguistic mutations reveal the interesting ways in which languages can evolve. 

Here are eight common English words that mean something completely different in other countries and languages.

In German, Oldtimer refers not to a person of an advanced age, but to a vintage or classic car — officially, a historic motor vehicle that is 30 years old or more. Up until the 1970s, it was also quite common in Germany to hear a classic car referred to by another English word: Veteran. But today, you’re far more likely to hear Oldtimer. 

In English, “mansion” conjures up images of a spacious, elegant home, perhaps surrounded by a sprawling country estate. But in Japan, a mansion or manshon is a concrete apartment building, often relatively modern and mid- to high-rise. The word was borrowed from the English “mansion” during the post-World War II period, when Western-style concrete buildings were being constructed. The Japanese word apaato, meanwhile, comes from the English word “apartment” and usually refers to a building two to three stories high and constructed of wood or light gauge steel.

If a French person mentions their slip, they’re talking about their underwear — typically men’s briefs or women’s panties. The word comes from the English verb “to slip” (into clothing), but English speakers reserve “slip” for a woman’s undergarment worn beneath a dress or skirt. French also uses slip de bain for swimming trunks, further cementing the word’s association with lower-body garments.

In English, the adjective “handy” can mean that something is convenient, or refer to someone who is good with their hands. In German, Handy turns into a noun, and the meaning is very different: It’s a common name for a cellphone. It’s not entirely clear why the word was adopted, but it might have come from Handfunktelefon (a German word for the first handheld mobile phones), or possibly from the Motorola HT 220 Handie Talkie — a type of walkie-talkie used during World War II. Either way, the word stuck and even extended its reach — if you want to get a German’s cell number, for example, you simply ask for their Handynummer. 

In a handful of European languages, including French, German, and Portuguese, smoking does not refer to the act of smoking a cigarette, cigar, pipe, or anything else that can produce smoke or be smoked. Instead, it refers to a tuxedo or dinner jacket. The term derives from the smoking jackets — elegant menswear worn while smoking cigars or pipes — that were popular in 19th-century England. The term was picked up in other parts of Europe but evolved to refer to formal evening wear in a more general sense. So, when Europeans talk about going to an event in a smoking (or, in Spanish-speaking countries, an esmoquin), they mean they’re wearing black-tie formal wear — and not anything to do with cigarettes or tobacco.

In Spanish, wáter or váter (both spellings exist) means “toilet” or “bathroom” — not “water” (which is agua). The Spanish word derives from the English “water closet.” So, when a Spanish speaker asks for the wáter, they don’t want a drink of water — they want to go to the restroom. Wáter can also refer more specifically to a toilet bowl. 

Another common Scheinanglizismus — that’s “pseudo-anglicism” in German. A Bodybag is a shoulder bag or messenger bag worn across the body — a trendy accessory, often mentioned in casual conversation. For English speakers, of course, “body bag” is  the bag used to transport corpses (which, in German, is Leichensack). 

It’s not often that you say, “I feel like eating a Viking today” — but in Japan you can do just that. Since the 1950s, eating Vikings has been a common occurrence in Japan, where a viking is an all-you-can-eat buffet. This came about when a restaurant manager from Tokyo’s Imperial Hotel traveled to Sweden in 1957. Impressed by the Swedish smörgåsbord buffets, he took the concept back to Japan. The new all-you-can-eat buffet was a hit, and the hotel changed the name of its restaurant to the Imperial Viking in honor of the buffet’s Scandinavian roots. Other restaurants copied the format, and viking soon became synonymous with unlimited buffet-style dining. 

The classic Gershwin brothers song “Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off” highlights different acceptable pronunciations of common English words. The lyrics contrast “to-MAY-to” with “to-MAH-to,” “pih-JAY-mas” with “pih-JAH-mas,” and “OY-sters” with “ER-sters.”

So why do some words have multiple acceptable pronunciations? The answer involves an understanding of English spoken in the American colonies more than 200 years ago and the historical expansion of settlements in America.

Many words that we still use regularly are affected by the differences in English from that time (or even earlier). Consider the options for “pecan,” “data,” “either,” “coupon,” “route,” “adult,” “almond,” “apricot,” “envelope,” “jewelry,” and “leisure.” Each of these has more than one acceptable pronunciation, and it usually affects the vowel.

The great majority of settlers in the original 13 colonies were from the British Isles. They brought with them their traditions, customs, and way of speaking. For example, the pronunciation of “aunt” as “ahnt” is a holdover from that British influence, indicating a higher social status and stronger ties to England. During westward expansion, “ant” evolved as a more casual, simplified pronunciation.

Similarly, consider the “t” in “often.” Even though it was pronounced in Middle English, Queen Elizabeth didn’t pronounce that “t,” so the “offen” pronunciation was adopted as the standard, first by the upper class and then in 17th-century British English. That pronunciation was carried over to the American colonies.

As British settlers and their offspring expanded westward, they encountered people who spoke languages other than English. Settlers speaking Dutch, French, and Spanish introduced their own languages as they colonized different parts of the continent. Without telephones, television, radio, and the Internet, those settlers weren’t exposed to a homogenized English pronunciation.

In the 19th century, westward expansion also influenced the development of accents and regional dialects. Since travel was easier in the American West, accents mixed more freely. As a result, to this day, differences in Western varieties of English are more subtle than in the North and South.

For example, John F. Kennedy spoke with a Boston accent, dropping the “r” at the end of words. If asked where he parked his car, he may have responded, “I pahked my cah in Havid Yad” (“I parked my car in Harvard Yard”). 

Speech in which the “r” sound is retained is described as “rhotic” (from the Greek letter rho), and accents that discard it are non-rhotic. For example, in non-rhotic accents, the “r” is not pronounced in “hard,” “card,” “far,” and “bar.” Non-rhotic speech is found most notably in Boston, New York City, and coastal areas of the South. Think of the accents of Robert De Niro, Bernie Sanders, Matt Damon, and Joe Pesci.

Linguists have determined that English has four broad regional accent categories: Northern, Southern, Midland, and Western. A more in-depth analysis reveals many local variations as well, including New England, New York City, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Appalachian, Inland North, North-Central, Californian, and Pacific Northwest.

American accents remain so distinctive that the way you say just a few words can reveal where you’re from. Linguists use this test quite successfully in pinpointing a person’s accent. Is “drawer” pronounced in one or two syllables? Are “cot” and “caught” pronounced the same? Are “Mary,” “merry,” and “marry” pronounced the same? When saying “Oregon,” is the emphasis on the first syllable? Is “aunt” pronounced “ant” or “ahnt?”  Does “creek” rhyme with “creak” or “crick”? Do you pronounce “New Orleans” so it sounds like “NOR-leens”? Is it “New Jersey” or “New Joisey”? Do you pronounce “Florida” so the first syllable rhymes with “sore” or “sock”? Do you pronounce the first letter in “huge” or is it silent? Do you pronounce “been” the same as “bin”?

People tend to maintain local accents as part of their cultural identity and belonging, but the trend in America is toward greater homogenization. Digital media contribute to more standardized speech, causing younger generations to speak much the same. Population mobility is another significant factor in flattening regional accents.

Despite this trend, regional accents are here to stay, and some are growing even more distinctive. As a result of a recent huge migration to the South and Southwest, and the popular appeal of country music, Southern speech is now the largest accent group in America.

Listen to any recording of country singers, such as Merle Haggard, Lucas Black, Willie Nelson, Blake Shelton, Johnny Cash, Reba McEntire, or Carrie Underwood, and you’ll hear that distinctive, twangy, Southern drawl with the intact “r.” 

Cellphones are a big part of modern society’s makeup, and it would be hard for many of us to imagine going through life without one. But the term “cellphone” has nothing to do with biology or the cells that comprise all living things. Instead, the roots of the term can be traced back to the advent of early cellular networks and how they functioned.

The word “cellular” has been associated with biology since the early 18th century, but in the 1970s it came to describe a burgeoning technology. That decade saw the launch of cellular networks — radiotelephone systems subdivided into small sections called cells. These cells were geographic regions serviced by a transmitter with limited range. They were called cells because if you looked at a map, each network cell resembled a biological cell under a microscope.

These cellular networks helped make the concept of mobile phone communication a real possibility. In fact, the first mobile phone call occurred in 1973. Ten years later, mobile phones were marketed to the public for the first time, and the devices were called “cellphones” because they relied on cellular networks in order to function.

While cellular networks have evolved over the last five decades, they’re still divided into these cell-shaped regions. Furthermore, mobile phones still require these networks to operate, so the term “cellphone” remains as true and relevant as ever.