All Things Dapper

[ysabetwordsmith]

I am all asquee over this bit of linguistic news that archaic words are regaining crowd appeal.  Why?  Because it's a triangulation point helping to confirm my hypothesis that the frame has popped off and English is in one of its phases of rapid evolution, like the Great Vowel Shift.  Whenever that happens, there's a big uptick in archaic resurgence because as the language retools itself, people check the attic for things that might be usable to fill gaps they're finding that inspired such a major change in the first place.  It's a time when the usual rules are suspended enough to permit drastic revisions of practice.  So you see certain words appearing and disappearing from common use, like skipping a stone across a lake, if you track them out over centuries.

*chuckle*  Slightly marred by those of us whose farmemory and taste in literature have always led us to use "alas" as an everyday word.

Comments

[librarygeek]

My daughter was using "mustn't" at 6, 7 years old?

Today, almost 11, she looked at a hurt kitty and said it was dehydrated but not skinny. SPCA had to pick it up, local feral cat. :-(

Disappointing

[dialecticdreamer]

All of those words are in my everyday usage.

THEN they oversimplified "unbeknownst"-- it's not merely unknown, it's unknown RELATIVE TO someone. "Steve's birthday party was already in the works, unbeknownst to him."

Which, of course, implies that a LOT of people KNOW, but he doesn't!

I think THIS one was lazy rather than stupid, but it still BURNS!

Re: Disappointing

[capri0mni]

Yeah, I've been on the planet for over half a century, and I can't think of a time when those words haven't been in my head.

Besides, I don't want to be associated with hipsters, just because they like some of the same words I like.

Re: Disappointing

[ysabetwordsmith]

It is lazy, but they're still right about the general resurgence of older words.

[cmcmck]

Hmmmm.......

Happen I use most of those words in everyday language. I suspect English english is just different! :o)

[book-worm5.livejournal.com]

Huzzah! ;-)

[rhodielady-47.livejournal.com]

There seems to be something similar happening in fashion today. Most of the internet sewers are busily mining sewing patterns from the 30's, 40's, and 50's for inspiration and everyone is trying to learn how to pattern draft. There's all sorts of stuff on pattern drafting posted on Pinterest these days--much of it is now out of copyright.
:^)

[westrider.livejournal.com]

I think copyright law is actually another substantial driving force behind some of these archaism movements. Maybe not with vocabulary, but in many other areas, it can be really hard to do much without stepping on someone's IP. Explicitly working from Public Domain stuff gets around that.

[rhodielady-47.livejournal.com]

I think you're right.
:^}

[cissa.livejournal.com]

I, too, use "alas" regularly. :)