In language, an archaism is the use of a form of speech or writing that is no longer current. A language is a dynamic set of visual auditory or tactile Symbols of Communication and the elements used to manipulate them This can either be done deliberately (to achieve a specific effect) or as part of a specific jargon (for example in law) or formula (for example in religious contexts). For Wikipedia jargon see WikipediaGlossary. For hacker slang see Jargon File. Law is a system of rules enforced through a set of Institutions used as an instrument to underpin civil obedience politics economics and society A religion is a set of Tenets and practices often centered upon specific Supernatural and moral claims about Reality, the Cosmos Many nursery rhymes contain archaisms. A nursery rhyme is a traditional Song or Poem taught to young children originally in the nursery. Archaic elements that occur only in certain fixed expressions (for example "be that as it may") are not considered to be archaisms.
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Usage
Archaisms are most frequently encountered in poetry, law, and ritual writing and speech. Law is a system of rules enforced through a set of Institutions used as an instrument to underpin civil obedience politics economics and society A ritual is a set of actions often thought to have Symbolic value the performance of which is usually prescribed by a Religion or by the Traditions Their deliberate use can be subdivided into literary archaisms, which seeks to evoke the style of older speech and writing; and lexical archaisms, the use of words no longer in common use. Literature is the Art of written works Literally translated the word means "acquaintance with letters" (from Latin littera letter In Linguistics, the lexicon (from Greek Λεξικόν of a language is its Vocabulary, including its words and expressions Archaisms are kept alive by these ritual and literary uses and by the study of older literature. Should they remain recognised, they can be revived, as the word anent was in this past century.
Some, such as academic and amateur philologists, enjoy learning and using archaisms either in speech or writing, though this may sometimes be misconstrued as pseudo-intellectualism. See Comparative linguistics for the narrower field of "comparative philology"
Archaisms are frequently misunderstood, leading to changes in usage. One example is the use of the archaic familiar second person singular pronoun "thou" to refer to God in English Christianity. The word thou ( in most dialects is a second person singular Pronoun in English. Although originally a familiar pronoun, it has been misinterpreted as a respectful one by many modern Christians. Another example is found in the phrase "the odd man out", which originally came from the phrase "to find the odd man out", where the verb "to find out" has been split by its object "the odd man", meaning the item which does not fit. In Grammar, a phrase is a group of Words that functions as a single unit in the Syntax of a sentence.
The compound adverbs and prepositions found in the writing of lawyers (e. A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law as an attorney, Counsel or Solicitor; a person g. heretofore, hereunto, thereof) are examples of archaisms as a form of jargon. Some phraseologies, especially in religious contexts, retain archaic elements that are not used in ordinary speech in any other context: "With this ring I thee wed. Phraseology appeared in the domain of Lexicology and is undergoing the process of segregating as a separate branch of Linguistics. " Archaisms are also used in the dialogue of historical novels in order to evoke the flavour of the period. A dialogue (sometimes spelled dialog) is a reciprocal Conversation between two or more entities. An historical novel is a Novel in which the story is set among historical events or more generally in which the time of the action predates the lifetime of the Author Some may count as inherently funny words and are used for humorous effect. The belief that certain words are inherently funny, for reasons ranging from Onomatopoeia to Phonosemantics to Sexual innuendo, is widespread Humour or humor (see spelling differences) is the tendency of particular cognitive experiences to provoke Laughter and provide Amusement
Alternative meanings
In anthropological studies of culture, archaism is defined as the absence of writing and subsistence economy. Anthropology (/ˌænθɹəˈpɒlədʒi/ from Greek grc ἄνθρωπος anthrōpos, "human" -λογία -logia) is the study of Subsistence is the food necessary to sustain life The following is a list of subsistence techniques: Hunting and Gathering In history, archaism is used to connote a superior, albeit mythical, "golden age. "
See also
References
- George Orwell, Politics and the English Language (1946)
Dictionary
archaism
-noun
- The adoption or imitation of archaic words or style.
- An archaic word, style, etc.
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