1. Laguna State Polytechnic University
San Pablo City Campus
Brgy. Del Remedio, San Pablo City
EngM19 – Introduction to Stylistics
ARCHAIC WORDS
Or
ACHAISMS
(Research Paper)
PREPARED BY:
ANGELES, Maria Monica M.
BSEd 4-S
SUBMITTED TO:
Mr. Alexander dela Vega

2. ARCHAIC WORDS/ARCHAISMS
Languages continually go through changes which results in the development in the
varieties of language. Most users of the language are not aware of these changes as they are
happening. These changes become more dramatic after long periods of time. William
Shakespeare and Geoffrey Chaucer works, for example, differ from the modern English language
that most of the readers prefer a translation of their works into modern English language.
In the classification of English vocabulary, archaic words or archaisms are one from
various groups of words on stylistic function which are being used by writers. Archaisms came
from the Greek word “arkhaismos” which means “copy the ancients” or “give an archaic air to”.
Archaisms are the usage of a form of writing or speech from an earlier time that is no longer
used in the present.
As the language continues to develop, its word stock also goes through an increasing
state of change. In each progress of literary language, more or less apparent changes in the
meaning or usage can be find, and for some instance, a total disappearance of a particular unit
from the language. Archaisms have three stages in the aging process of words and they are as
follows:
Obsolescent – the beginning aging process of a word. Words of this kind become seldom
used.
Obsolete – these are the words that have already gone entirely out of use but are still
being recognized by the community.
Archaic Proper – these are the words which are no longer being recognized in modern
English. They are the words in Old English which are either completely dropped out of
the language or have changed in their appearance and have become unrecognizeable.
Historic words are being erroneously classified as archaic words. Archaic words are words
which are no longer in general use but still encountered for stylistic function. Historic words, on
the other hand, never disappear from the language, thus, words of these types cannot be
considered as archaic.

3. Most frequently, words that fall on archaisms are being used in poetry, science and
technology, ritual writings, geography, law, and speeches. It is said that archaisms can be divided
into two: the literary archaisms and the lexical archaisms. Literary archaism seeks to evoke style
of older speeches and writings. The usage of words, which are no longer in the common use, fall
under the lexical archaism. Different rituals and literary uses in the literature of the old help
archaisms kept alive.
Science and technology is one of the factors of the generation of words because of
continuous discoveries and inventions. For instance, the usage of the word “wireless” instead of
“radio” for the generation of British citizens during the World War II – association of these
words kept the both words alive in the speaking community but, in fact, the word “radio” is an
older word which is a obviously of archaism.
Another example of archaism is to evoke the former age means through old place names that
could convey a political or emotional subtext or when many don’t recognize the new official
name – just like “Persia” rather than “Iran”. A famous example is the airline name, “Cathay
Pacific”. It uses the archaic name “Cathay” which now known as “China.”
Compound adverbs and prepositions found in the writing of lawyers – like the words
heretofore, hereunto, thereof – are also examples of archaisms. In some phraseologies, most
especially in religious contexts, archaic elements that are not used in ordinary speech in any
other context are being retained: "With this ring I thee wed."
Archaisms are also used in the dialogue of historical novels so as to draw out the flavor of the
period. Others use archaisms to add a humorous effect and may count as inherently funny words.
Archaisms are mostly misunderstood which leads to changes in the usage. An example can
be found in the phrase "the odd man out". This 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.
SOURCES: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archaism; www.durov.com/study/STYLISTICS-826.doc; Microsoft Encarta 2007