Archaism . Archaisms are elements that belong to bygone eras and artistically overcome and that are used in the present by imitation. Speakers using very conservative language registers, such as legal language or liturgy based on sacred texts, still make use of numerous archaisms. In addition, archaisms can be used as a literary device to embellish a text, although its excessive use can make it difficult to understand it.
Summary
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- 1 Linguistics
- 1 Conservative records
- 2 Archaisms of Spanish
- 1 Mexico
- 2 Spain
- 3 Art
- 4 Sources
Linguistics
In historical linguistics the term archaism is used to designate a lexical term or a grammatical element used in the past in most of the domain of Spanish but which has now disappeared from the daily speech of most speakers, and is only used in certain contexts , in certain isolated variants, and that although in general it is understood by the speakers, it does not have a wide use in most varieties of the language.
When speaking of archaisms in a language that has different geographical variants or dialects, absolute archaisms must be distinguished from relative archaisms. An absolute archaism is a form that has disappeared from all the variants of the language considered, while a “relative archaism of variety A with respect to variety B” is any element that existed in the ancestors of A and B, but in the present moment is only used in variety A but not in variety B. In historical linguistics the opposite of relative archaism is an innovation. When an old element is substituted in one of the varieties of a language, it is said that said variety has innovated in the use of that element.
Conservative records
Some linguistic records are particularly conservative, particularly literary and formal records. In pre-state cultures without writing, ancient myths or songs often contain more archaism when recited as they were learned.
In the same way, in societies with writing, sayings or proverbs, the object of paremiology, are especially abundant in archaisms. Other formal conservative contexts in which archaisms abound are legal language or liturgy based on canonical texts.
In addition, archaisms can be used as a literary device to embellish a text, suggest a past tense, or even with comic effect. However, literary excessive use of archaisms can make it difficult or obscure the understanding of a text.
Archaisms of Spanish
Spanish dictionary
In Spanish archaisms are called words that existed in most varieties in the past but that today are only used in relatively small restricted areas compared to the domain of Spanish.
Mexico
In the same way as in Spain expressions that fell into disuse continue to be used in Mexico , forms that in Spain have fallen into disuse have been preserved in the speech of Mexico. Expressions such as: it makes me (‘it seems to me’), how much …? (‘How much …?’), Very night (‘very night’), supposedly (‘supposedly’), where, used as a conditional in expressions such as: “Where you tell him, I kill you” (‘How do you Say it, I’ll kill you ‘).
There are both grammatical and lexical archaisms, some examples of lexical archaisms, already forgotten in Spain, and that remain valid in Mexico: pararse (‘stand up’), spectacles (‘glasses’), talk (‘talk’), prieto ( ‘dark’), sculpting (‘searching in the sense of registering’ or ‘sniffing’), receiving (‘graduating’), piggy bank (‘piggy bank’, commonly used in areas of Andalusia), pool (‘pool’)
Spain
An outstanding grammatical archaism of the Spanish of the center and north of Spain with respect to the rest of dialects, is the use of you, disappeared in the Spanish of America . Similarly, the second person plural ending is an archaism of peninsular Spanish with respect to American Spanish.
However, the distinction between / s / and / θ / in its current form that currently exist in much of Spain, constitutes an innovation, since it appeared between the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, based on a distinction between the two deaf sibilants of the Spanish of the 15th century .
Art
In Art History it means “old-fashioned”, “primitive”, and it serves to designate works or artistic styles whose characteristics are primitive. For example, in sculpture almond-shaped eyes, parallel folds, hieraticism, etc. are considered archaisms. In painting , the lack of a realistic perspective, the juxtaposition of elements, the frontalism. In architecture, the outdated construction systems are archaisms.
