English vocabulary in the process of time

1. Obsolescence.

   1. Archaic elements.

   2. Historisms.

2. Novelty.

2.1. Coinage of new lexical units.

2.2. Semantic groups of neologisms.

2.3. Ways of forming neologisms.

2.4. Nonce words.

Recommended reading:

Rayevskaya N.M. English Lexicology. – Kiev.: “Vysca Scola”, 1979. – English words in the process of time. PP. 242 – 253.

Optional reading and reference:

1. Ayto J. The Longman Register of New Words. - Special Ed. - Longman, 1990. - 425 p.

2. Зацний Ю.А. Шляхи та тенденції розвитку лексико-семантичної системи сучасної англійської мови : Уч. пос. для ф-тів романо-германської філології університетів. - Запоріжжя. ЗДУ, 1992.

3. Зацний Ю.А. Неологізми англійської мови 80-90х років ХХ століття. - Запоріжжя: "Тандем-У", 1997. - 396 с.

4. Зацний Ю.А. Розвиток словникового складу сучасної англійської мови. - Запоріжжя: ЗДУ, 1998. - 431 с.

5. Зацный Ю.А., Бутов В.Н. Новая общественно-политическая лексика и фразеология английского языка. - Запорожье: ЗДУ, 2000. - 200с.

6. Зацний Ю.А., Пахомова Т.О. Мова і суспільство: збагачення словникового складу сучасної англійської мови. - Запоріжжя: ЗДУ, 2001. - 243 с.

Main concepts of the theme:

obsolete word;

obsolescence;

archaism;

semantic archaism;

lexical/ proper archaism;

phonetic archaism;

spelling archaism;

grammatical archaism;

morphological archaism;

partial archaism;

historism;

neology;

coinage;

neologism;

originator;

semantic neologism;

transnomination;

proper neologism;

phonological neologism;

artificial neologism;

strong neologism;

syntactical neologism;

morphological neologism;

phraseological neologism;

nonce word/form(ation).

Obsolescence

When a word totally goes out of general use, it would be referred to as obsolete.

Archaisms

Archaic elements in the English vocabulary can be classified as follows:

Semantic archaisms retained their forms but acquired new meanings or stylistic coloring: fair "beautiful".

Lexical/proper archaisms are no longer in general spoken or written use, but can be found in poetry, nursery rhymes, etc.: steed (horse), to behold (to see), belike (probably), forebears (ancestors), to wit (namely).

Phonetic/ spelling archaisms, morphological archaisms denote existing things but to a certain extent are ousted by their variants: wilt (will), olde (old), o'er (over), e'er (ever), beauteous (beautiful), bepaint (paint), darksome (dark), oft (often).

Grammatical archaisms are archaic grammar forms: goest, goeth (goes), spake (spoke), gotten (got).

Partial archaismsare older forms used in Modern English in other functions:

• archaic participles as verbal adjectives only (a hidden meaning/ The meaning is hid; a rotten plank/ The plank was rotted by water; a drunken man/ The man has drunk much wine);

• as parts of compounds (oft-told, garlic, playwright);

• survived in idioms (Many a little makes a mickel);

• as proper names (Webster, Chandler).

Historisms

The name for the thing which is no longer in use becomes a historism. Here belong the names referring to :

• transport means (berlin, brougham, fly, gig);

• vehicles (prairie schooner, caravel, galleon);

• weapons (breastplate, crossbow, arrow);

• social sphere (cannibal, brother colonist, absentee in Australian English; double-decker in New Zealand English; free township, Indian brandy in Canadian English; Conestoga wagon, farthingale in US English; breakwater, civilized labour in South African English).