Archaism
In
language, an
archaism is the deliberate use of an older form that has fallen out of current use.
Archaisms are most frequently encountered in
poetry,
law, and
ritual writing and speech. 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. 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.
Syntax here
The compound adverbs and prepositions found in the writing of
lawyers (
e.g. heretofore, hereunto, thereof) are usually thought of as archaisms. Archaic
syntax is also typically found in these ritual and legal contexts. (
e.g. "With this ring I thee wed.") Archaisms are also used in the
dialogue of
historical novels in order to evoke the flavour of the period. Some may count as
inherently funny words and are used for
humorous effect.
*
list of archaic English words and their modern equivalentsIn
anthropological studies of culture, archaism is defined as the absence of writing and
subsistence economy.In history, archaism is used to connote a superior, albeit mythical, "golden age."
