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ARCHAISM

Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language | 1998 | | Copyright

ARCHAISM. In RHETORIC, literary criticism, and PHILOLOGY, a style that reflects the usage of an earlier period (literary archaism) and an out-of-date or old-fashioned word or phrase (a lexical archaism). Literary archaism occurs when a style is modelled on older works, so as to revive earlier practices or achieve a desired effect. Lexical archaisms are a common feature of such a style and of such registers as religion and law. Archaism is often a consequence of purism and may rest on the belief that language and life in days of yore were plainer, more democratic, and more natural. Such archaisms as ere before, prithee I pray you, are often used for effect, especially in the dialogue of historical novels: ‘Dear father, prithee add thyself to that venerable company ere the soup cools’ ( Margaret in Charles Reade's The Cloister and the Hearth, 1861).

See ANACHRONISM, JOURNALESE, SAXONISM.

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TOM McARTHUR. "ARCHAISM." Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

TOM McARTHUR. "ARCHAISM." Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O29-ARCHAISM.html

TOM McARTHUR. "ARCHAISM." Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language. 1998. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O29-ARCHAISM.html

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archaism

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English | 2009 | Copyright

ar·cha·ism / ˈärkēˌizəm; ˈärkā-/ • n. a thing that is very old or old-fashioned. ∎ an archaic word or style of language or art. ∎ the use or conscious imitation of very old or old-fashioned styles or features in language or art. DERIVATIVES: ar·cha·is·tic / ˌärkēˈistik; ˌärkā-/ adj.

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"archaism." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"archaism." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-archaism.html

"archaism." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-archaism.html

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