Every person who wants to learn and develop, always strives to learn something new and useful for himself. Vocabulary is considered especially important, which has not only become an indicator of erudition for a long time, but can also help in the most unexpected life situation. In this article, you can learn about what archaisms and historicisms are. Examples of words and context can also be useful for those who are especially inquisitive.
Historisms
Archaisms and historicisms are a certain category of vocabulary. It includes long obsolete words. Examples: historicisms - ax; archaisms - zelo, this.
Historicisms include the names of objects that were used by our ancestors, and today they are found only in museums. For example, the word "squeaker", which refers to an ancient type of weapon used in Russia several centuries ago. Historicism also includes the word "ax", denoting one of the types of combataccessories. It was something similar to a modern ax, but with two blades.
How historicisms appeared
The main reason that over time historicisms appeared in the language was the change in the habitual life of our ancestors, customs, the development of science and culture. So, for example, the disappeared types of clothing - armyak, caftan, camisole - were no longer used, and this led to the disappearance of their names from the language. Now such concepts can only be found in historical descriptions. There are many words that have ceased to be used, and now they are classified as "historicisms". An example of this is the concepts that in one way or another concerned serfdom in Russia. Among them - quitrent, corvée, filing.
Archaisms
This category includes words that denote things and concepts that still exist, but with changed names. For example, our ancestors instead of the modern "this" said "this", and "very" sounded like "green". Historicisms and archaisms, examples of which are found in many literary works, are by no means always completely replaced by other words, they can only partially change. For example, phonetically or morphologically.
How archaisms appeared
This kind of obsolete words appeared due to the fact that over time any vocabulary undergoes changes, evolves and assimilates with other languages. Thus, some words are replaced by others, but with the same meaning. This is that part of the vocabulary that has outlived its own, but notdisappears completely from the language. These words are preserved in literature, documents, and so on. To create historical novels, they are completely necessary so that you can recreate the flavor of the era described.
Phonetic archaisms
This type includes modern words and concepts that differ from obsolete ones by just a few sounds, sometimes just one. For example, such a word as “piit” can be attributed to phonetic archaisms, which eventually evolved into “poet”, and “fire” turned into “fire”.
Morphological archaisms
This category includes words that are outdated in their structure. These include the noun "ferocity" which became "fierce", the adjective "nervous" which evolved into "nervous", the verb "to collapse" which now sounds like "collapse" and many others.
Semantic archaisms
Archaisms and historicisms, examples of words found everywhere, often lose their true meaning over time. For example, the modern "shame" used to mean nothing more than "spectacle", while the old "ordinary" meant something that was done in one day (for example, "ordinary way"), and not at all "ordinary".
Modern use
Sometimes these obsolete words change so much that they start to be used in a new meaning. This can be said about both archaisms and historicisms. An example of this is the word "dynasty". Some time ago it stopped being used, but now it is back in use. If earlier it could only be combined with such words as "royal" and "monarchical", now the scope of its use has expanded significantly. Now you can hear about the dynasty of lumberjacks or miners, who imply that this profession is inherited from father to son. Sometimes obsolete words can also be found in an ironic context.
Stable expressions
Obsolete words continue to fully function in the language as part of set expressions. Thus, some historicisms have been preserved. Example: the word "buckles" is still used in the language as part of the phrase "beat the bucks", which means "to mess around". The same can be said about the stable expression “to sharpen folly”, that is, “to chat incessantly.”
Degeneration VS Rebirth
It also happens that words that linguists have already boldly attributed to historicisms have come back into use due to the fact that the concepts they denoted have begun to be used again. This can also happen if something new has been created that is in some way similar to or related to an obsolete concept. Now such words hardly resemble historicisms. Example: charity evening, midshipman.
Conclusion
It should be noted that although all the above-mentioned obsolete words are rather a passive layer of vocabulary, they do not cease to play an important role in it. Reading the works of such eminent writers as Tolstoy,Dostoevsky or Mayakovsky, one can very often come across historicisms and archaisms, and in order to accurately understand the idea that the author wanted to convey, one must be aware of their meaning. Therefore, in case you come across an unfamiliar word, it is best to consult an authoritative dictionary.
