Wordsmith.org: the magic of words

Wordsmith Talk

About Us | What's New | Search | Site Map | Contact Us  

Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Page 1 of 3 1 2 3
#6133 09/07/00 04:06 PM
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
tsuwm Offline OP
Carpal Tunnel
OP Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
[possible YART alert!]

how do y'all feel about the use of archaisms? my own opinion is that many fine words have fallen into desuetude, whilst on the other end of the spectrum we are inundated by execrable jargonistic neologisms.


#6134 09/07/00 04:16 PM
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
IMHO, archaisms sound anachronistic.
'Sides, have "y'all" moved to the Deep South?
Older does not necessarily equal better. When Beethoven's compositions were new, they were considered "execrable".
I will concede that a lot of current jargon is stupid.


#6135 09/07/00 06:06 PM
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 200
W
enthusiast
Offline
enthusiast
W
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 200
oh tsuwm!

i agree that beautiful words are lost, words like "coolth" that can't be replaced.
but i can't help feeling that words are not anyone's property, and that when they're dead they're dead. it's not up to anyone to revive them.
i repeat my position that old words were once new, and that new words will at some stage be old.
language is, and always was, the result of evolution.
might i suggest that the words themselves do not grate, it's the concepts they refer to. if you don't like computers, you won't like computer speak.
max, i think, posted about "happify". i don't like the word as referred to in his posting, but if my girlfriend were to announce she was going to "happify" my apartment, the word would become a jewel.

by the way (BTW), what new words do you like?


#6136 09/07/00 06:21 PM
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
tsuwm Offline OP
Carpal Tunnel
OP Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
>what new words do you like?

well, there's fodder for a new thread (he said, vainly attempting to maintain order). meanwhile, I'm working up an exhibit of archaisms which didn't deserve their fate....


#6137 09/07/00 09:56 PM
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 3,409
M
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
M
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 3,409
meanwhile, I'm working up an exhibit of archaisms which didn't deserve their fate....

May I ask that William's "coolth" be on that list? I love the way "coolth" sounds, and still use it a lot, though most often only in conversation with myself.


#6138 09/08/00 12:33 PM
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,027
old hand
Offline
old hand
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,027
For some time it has occurred to me that words, like living organisms, are subject to mutation and selection, with the "fittest" making it to the next shakeout. And as in the case of organisms, "fittest" is only defined in a circular way, as such that survive under the prevailing conditions.
On remote islands with special climates, weird forms have persisted, and founded pedigrees of their own.


#6139 09/08/00 01:02 PM
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
tsuwm Offline OP
Carpal Tunnel
OP Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
...but, unlike living organisms, when a word "dies out" it may have an afterlife; i.e., historical novels, obscure word lists, etc. and there may come a time when such a word will be "reincarnated" -- to fill in a lacuna, to replace now overloaded terms, or perhaps just to refresh the language.


#6140 09/08/00 01:04 PM
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
tsuwm Offline OP
Carpal Tunnel
OP Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
>May I ask that William's "coolth" be on that list?

absolutely! it provides the reverse of 'warmth' and it helps fill a gap left by the overloading of 'coolness'.


#6141 09/08/00 01:15 PM
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 218
B
enthusiast
Offline
enthusiast
B
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 218
archaisms which didn't deserve their fate

May I ask, tsuwm, is "gadzooks" one of the words you feel didn't deserve its fate?


#6142 09/08/00 01:31 PM
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
tsuwm Offline OP
Carpal Tunnel
OP Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
'gadzooks' (god's hooks) is pretty lame, as euphemistic interjections go. BrEng has given us 'gadzookery' as a term for the use of archaisms (as in a historical novel), which is why I chose to use it.

note: 'tushery' is another word which applies to this discussion, although it has even more of a negative connotation, being writing of poor quality distinguished esp. by the affected choice of archaic words.

Page 1 of 3 1 2 3

Moderated by  Jackie 

Link Copied to Clipboard
Forum Statistics
Forums16
Topics13,912
Posts229,271
Members9,179
Most Online3,341
Dec 9th, 2011
Newest Members
TRIALNERRA, befuddledmind, KILL_YOUR_SUV, Heather_Turey, Standy
9,179 Registered Users
Who's Online Now
1 members (A C Bowden), 285 guests, and 4 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Top Posters(30 Days)
Top Posters
wwh 13,858
Faldage 13,803
Jackie 11,613
tsuwm 10,542
wofahulicodoc 10,502
LukeJavan8 9,915
AnnaStrophic 6,511
Wordwind 6,296
of troy 5,400
Disclaimer: Wordsmith.org is not responsible for views expressed on this site. Use of this forum is at your own risk and liability - you agree to hold Wordsmith.org and its associates harmless as a condition of using it.

Home | Today's Word | Yesterday's Word | Subscribe | FAQ | Archives | Search | Feedback
Wordsmith Talk | Wordsmith Chat

© 1994-2024 Wordsmith

Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5