- lexeme or grammatical form, which in the process of language development was replaced by others, but continues to be used as stylistically marked, for example, in poetic speech to create a high style. It should be distinguished from historicisms - words that are completely out of use.

In highly stratified developed languages, such as English, or Portuguese, archaisms can serve as professional jargon, which is especially characteristic of jurisprudence and religious worship.

Archaism is a lexical unit that has fallen into disuse, although the corresponding object (phenomenon) remains in real life and receives other names (obsolete words that have been supplanted or replaced by modern synonyms). The reason for the appearance of archaisms is in the development of the language, in updating its vocabulary: one word is replaced by another.

Displaced words do not disappear without a trace: they are preserved in the literature of the past and as part of some established expressions used in a certain context; they are necessary in historical novels and essays - to recreate the life and language coloring of the era. In the modern language, derivatives of words that have gone out of active use may be preserved (for example, “ this hour" and " this day" from the archaic "this" and "this").

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Examples of archaisms in Russian

Archaisms in Russian have a Slavic root in general, and sometimes correspond to existing usages in both South Slavic and West Slavic languages:

Az - I ("you lie, dog, I am king!”, “vengeance is mine, and I will repay”; Bulgarian az sm, maked. jas sum) to know - to know (derivatives: not Vedas not Vedas washed, Vedas um. Belarusian know) velmi - very, very (belor. velmi) evening - last night (“evening, do you remember the blizzard was angry ...”) neck - neck (“Israel did not bow before the proud satrap”) voice - voice (“the voice of one crying in the wilderness” , "the voice of the people is the voice of God"; derivative words: with voice ie, co voice ny, full voice ie, one voice ny, transportation glash shipping/carriage voice it, glash atai; identical to modern Bulgarian, Serbian and Macedonian meanings) just now - recently right hand - right hand ("punishing right hand"; Bulgarian diasno - right) hand - palm (Bolg. dlan, poppy. hand) daughter - daughter (“you are my unlucky daughter” - playful; bolg. daughter) if - if (“if you are polite”) belly - in the meaning of “life” (“not sparing your stomach”, “not on your stomach, but on death"; Bulgarian/Mak./Serb. stomach) green - very gold - gold (“There, Tsar Kashchei is languishing over gold”; identical to modern Bulgarian, Serbian and Macedonian meanings) even - which, which (for example, “along with them”; Serb. iste) lanitis - cheeks lepota - beauty, magnificence (bulg. blunder, Serbian nonsense) to say - to speak (“they didn’t order to execute, they ordered the word to say”); derivatives: by rumors walk, by rumors ka night - night (for example, in the expression "day and night", that is, "both day and night"; identical to modern Bulgarian, Serbian and Macedonian meanings) eye, eyes - eye, eyes ("in the blink of an eye", "black eyes" ”, “days and nights at the open-hearth furnaces did not close our eyes”, “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth”, “an eye of Sauron”; derived words: och obvious, och eyewitness, och yu, och ny/for och ny, och ki; identical to the modern Bulgarian, Serbian and Macedonian meanings) oneʹ - they (about females) ʻeʹsʹ (gen. Pad. "Osmi") - eight (derived word: osm sometimes); Bulgarian osem, poppy osum, Serbian wasps. eighteen - eighteen; Bulgarian eighteenteen, poppy crazy, Serbian osamnaest. finger - finger ("pointing finger"; derivatives: finger yen, on finger ok, twelve finger gut, on finger yanka (digitalis), lane chats; Bulgarian prst, poppy and Serb. prst) therefore - therefore, because - because, since, because; Serb. utoliko this, this, this - this, this, this (“this very second!”, “this moment!”, “what does this mean?”) adversary - a villain, a scoundrel - a form of 3 l. pl. part of the verb “to be” tokmo - only hope - hope (“I trust in the mercy of God”) mouth - lips, mouth (“a smile frozen on the lips”; derivatives: mouth ny, mouth ye; identical to the modern Bulgarian, Serbian and Macedonian meanings) red - red, scarlet (Bolg. red, poppy/serb. red, Ukrainian red, Polish czerwony, Czech. /Slovak cervena, Belarusian churvons) chelo - forehead (“beat with a brow”, that is, to express respect, respect; derivative word: forehead bit; identical to the modern Bulgarian, Serbian and Macedonian meanings) shelom - helmet (“drink the Don with a helmet”; derivative words: about helmet it, oh helmet yonny) shuytsa - left hand like or aki - like, as if, exactly (to add a comparative turnover - “wise, like a snake”, “And all that you are in your work, great sovereign, like a bee”) Polish. jak, Czech. Jako, Slovak ako., Belor. yak.

There are many special categories of words in Russian. They help people to describe certain things and phenomena in more detail. One of these special categories of words are historicisms. In this article we will talk about this group, as well as the difference between historicisms and archaisms. Moreover, consider examples of historic words and their meanings.

What is historicism?

The Russian language, like any other language, is a constantly changing living organism, which often takes on new forms. The modern Russian language is very different from the one used by the first princes. It went through several stages in its development. There are three stages of historical development:

1. Old Russian language.
2. Old Russian language.
3. period of the national language.

It sounded different in different historical epochs. Due to constant development, the lexical composition has changed a lot. As an example, let's take the documents of Ancient Russia. A simple layman is unlikely to be able to understand what is written in the text. There are too many incomprehensible words, and familiar words have a completely different meaning. Thanks to scientific and technological progress, a large number of new concepts have appeared in the vocabulary that enrich the vocabulary of the language. You can also increase active vocabulary if you borrow foreign words to add variety to your vocabulary. This rule also works vice versa. Some words are no longer used, because many items have disappeared from everyday life. So the words that described these objects go out of use. These words are called historicisms. The picture below is an example of historicism.

What is archaism?

Archaism means something a little different. They have one thing in common with historicisms, because of which they are often confused. Historicisms with archaisms are often used in old works. But there is a rather big difference between them: if historicisms describe objects that have disappeared from our lives, then archaisms are an outdated form of naming an object that exists. As an example, let's take the word that we know from children's books - gold. This is archaism, because this word has a modern form - gold.

What is the difference between them?

The difference is big enough. One small detail will help determine what is in front of you, historicism or archaism. The second has commonly used synonyms. Of course, these two concepts are rather conditional. Words fall out of use for various reasons. In some cases, they return to active vocabulary after a long time period. Here is an example of historicism words that returned to circulation after a while: lieutenant, minister, officer, etc. Linguists create special dictionaries in which such words are entered.

Another important difference between archaisms and historicisms is that archaisms have 3 degrees of obsolescence. They are specially distinguished by linguists to track the old age of the vocabulary of the language.

What can be the conclusion? Many words fall out of frequent use and pass into a passive state or disappear. For words that have passed into a passive state, there are two options: if they were replaced by others, the word became archaic; if the object itself has disappeared, then it is historicism. They differ in meaning, this must not be forgotten. Below in the picture you can see an example of historicism and archaism. So you can more clearly understand the difference between them.

Examples of words-historicisms and archaisms in the Russian language and their meanings

Historicisms can be divided into several categories, depending on which historical period the vocabulary belongs to. Examples of historicisms in Russian:

1. Tiun is a princely steward.
2. Smerd is a peasant who is directly dependent on the prince.
3. Bratina - composition for serving alcoholic beverages.
4. Nepman is an entrepreneur in the USSR during the NEP period.
5. Boyar - the highest stratum of society in ancient Russia.
6. Likbez is a program for the eradication of illiteracy.
7. Tax in kind - food tax levied on farms, introduced instead of food appropriations.
8. Altyn - a coin equal to three kopecks.
9. The landowner is a landowner belonging to the privileged class.
10. Prince - the title of a person close to the throne.
11. Count is the title of a nobleman.
12. Onuchi - windings for legs under boots.
13. A clerk is a clerk and clerk in the clerk's office.
14. Short fur coat - a short sheepskin coat.

Let's look at examples of archaic words:

1. Eyes - eyes.
2. Eight - eight.
3. Finger - finger.
4. An adversary is a villain, an enemy, a scoundrel.
5. The belly is life.
6. Lanites - cheeks.
7. Mouth - lips, mouth.
8. Shelom - a helmet.
9. Night is night.
10. Speak - speak.
11. Right hand - right hand.
12. Voice is a voice.
13. Just now - a long time ago.
14. Evening - last night.

Here are also examples of words that became historicisms, but then returned to active vocabulary:

1. Hryvnia. Initially - a neck decoration in the form of a hoop, later - the monetary unit of Ukraine
2. The officer. After the revolution, officer ranks were removed from the army, but in 1943 it was returned.
3. Shoulder straps. Also, after the revolution, they were removed from the military uniform, but in 1943 they were returned.
4. Ministry. They were liquidated after the revolution, in the 1950s they were created anew instead of the people's commissariats.

Again, the difference between these categories of words is clearly visible. Historicism can only be expressed by a term, archaism by a synonym. There is another rather interesting feature. Historicisms are more common in history textbooks and are used there as scientific terms. Archaisms are closer to the language, just one word has been replaced by another. So we have seen examples and meanings of historicisms, so now the reader will have a clearer idea on this topic.

The role of historicisms and archaisms in literary works

Special vocabulary helps to recreate the historical flavor in the works, so that the reader can fully immerse himself in the atmosphere of the time being described. Also, poets do not disdain special vocabulary. It helps to create a solemn atmosphere in the poem. Usually poets use archaisms to give speech a higher poetic sound. Another important detail that special vocabulary helps to emphasize is the display of comic and satirical moments. Especially often this property was used by Saltykov-Shchedrin to create ironic situations and ridicule human vices.

What cultural role does obsolete vocabulary play?

The use of such vocabulary by writers expands the reader's understanding of the historical period and Russian culture. Thanks to this, a person gains additional knowledge. This knowledge will help form a full-fledged personality who knows how to get to know the world with the help of languages. A person learns to think broadly, to be spiritually and morally strong, aesthetically educated, to love and respect the history of our country.

Conclusion

Special vocabulary plays a big role in the Russian language. With its help, we can recreate the atmosphere of the past, which writers often use in their works. Its role is difficult to overestimate. After all, these words describe historical objects that we will never see. That is why it is considered "passive vocabulary", because it is quite difficult to hear historicisms and archaisms. They can be considered the historical heritage of our language, so they need to be protected. Even though this vocabulary has fallen out of active use, most people know it and, meeting it in literary works, understand it. And without the use of archaisms and historicisms in literature, works lose their solemnity and originality. In this article, we looked at examples of historicism and archaism, which helped us figure out what it is and what is the difference between them.

Russian speech is rich in a set of words, among which there are antonyms, homonyms, epithets and archaisms. They significantly expand the language and allow you to most clearly convey the various shades of objects and their states. What are archaisms, their meaning. These are obsolete words that are not used in modern everyday and business speech. They were replaced by new concepts that are widely used in society.

What is archaism in the Russian folk language - this is an Old Slavonic word, replaced by a new term. Some of the Old Slavic words have survived to modern times due to their frequent use in literature.

Obsolete concepts are used both in prose and in poetic form. For example, the concept of "eyes". Old Slavic definition, which in modern times means "eyes". The poem "Dark Eyes" was written in 1843, but set to music and performed from the stage in the 20th century. The time interval between the appearance of a word and its use is several centuries.

It is worth noting that in the old days words were given less importance than they are now. Solely thanks to the opinion of society, simple terms have acquired additional meaning and are used as something special.

What are archaisms

Why is there a replacement

New words appeared in the Russian language thanks to science, education and foreigners. With the development of science, there was a need to obtain fresh data, countries exchanged students, literature and professors among themselves. In the process of this exchange, simpler and more technical terms were introduced into the Russian language. With the increase in the number of educated individuals, the speech of the people began to be modernized, adjusted, and the old terms made room.

In addition to the general development of science and the emergence of foreign terminology, actively developing grammar has made adjustments. Cases have caused the need to reduce all words to one common form. Endings and suffixes make Russian speech wide and varied, creating many shades. This is one of the main aspects of the richness of the Russian language, which is difficult to study as a foreign language. General rules for writing parts of speech, endings that give the term a specific meaning, modified the old words, fitting them to the rules.

Kinds

Science has deduced several types of archaisms, differing in the way a new word is created. Not all terms have been completely replaced by the new concept. Some of the words underwent a sound interpretation (some sounds were replaced and the new word sounds close to the old one), some left the root, but replaced the suffixes and endings.

• lexical - complete replacement. The old word is replaced by a new one, without preserving the similarity of sound or root. Widely used in literature to give atmosphere. Lexical archaisms can be "guessed" by the context or find out the exact meaning of the term in the dictionary. Example: now - now;
• derivational - partial replacement. The root was preserved, but the ending was changed, suffixes and endings appeared. In fact, this type has retained the meaning and concept of the object, but has been transformed for the possibility of case declension. The need for transformation arose with the development of grammar and the need to bring all words to a common form suitable for the rules. Derivational archaisms are easily recognizable and do not require checking the meaning in a dictionary. Example: acquaintance - acquaintance;
• phonetic - the sound is changed by replacing some consonant sounds in the word. The replacement occurred within the groups of sounds deaf - voiced hissing. Phonetic archaisms are very close in pronunciation and sound to modern concepts. Without knowing the word, you can guess its meaning without a dictionary. Example: mirror - mirror;
• semantic - meaning substitution. The word used in the old days has a different meaning in modern times. Pronunciation and spelling have been preserved, but in the process of introducing new terminology into Russian speech, ancient concepts were forgotten. Semantic archaisms can be identified in the text by the general meaning of the sentence. If a well-known word does not fit into the text logically, then it has a different meaning. A dictionary will help you check the term. Example: shame / spectacle (archaism) and shame / humiliation, shame (modern concept).

Useful video: obsolete words

Examples

Consider examples of archaisms and their modern counterparts.

Lexical

Most of it is about the description of the human body. Organs and limbs have completely changed their names with the development of health care. The scientific literature on medical subjects has obliged to transform the concepts so that they are understandable and accessible to the majority. This facilitated the work of both translators and physicians.

In modern times, Old Slavonic terminology describing the human body is used in literature. The concept has acquired additional semantic shades, which are in special demand among authors:

• womb - belly. The womb now means something bottomless, terrible and unpleasant, although the original word does not carry anything oppressive in itself;
• to speak - to speak. “Speak” is a word that does not express emotions, clearly conveys the meaning of the action. "Speak" implies emotional speech, often with soft intonations;
• the right hand is the right hand. In the current interpretation, the term means not just a side and part of the body, the right hand means a person who has a certain power, who is second in importance and can control events on behalf of the “chief”.

word-building

Such examples of words and expressions are rare, as they are not in demand in the literature. It can be found in old texts, where the author initially used Old Slavonic speech.

Assistance - assistance, murderer - murderer.

Phonetic

They have become obsolete and are not found in modern speech, even in literary works. In rare cases, they are used to give special meaning to what has been said.

My daughter is my daughter. A playful form that attracts the attention of the child. In the old days, the opinion of parents was an absolute argument, and children obeyed their parents until their own gray hairs, were considered unlucky (in the family circle) children. The phrase "my daughter" is intended to draw the daughter's attention to the fact that she is young, inexperienced and should listen to the opinion of her parents.

Semantic

Often found in literary works of the last century. A striking example is the poem by T.G. Shevchenko "Dream":

І dream about that syn Ivan
І ugly, і rich,
Not lonely, but zhonatiy ...

The meaning of the word "ugly" in this text implies the modern "beautiful". Now the term "ugly" means ugly, scary, with injuries.

Since Ukrainian speech is very close to Russian in meaning and pronunciation, Russian archaisms can be found in it as used words. Plesk is a Russian obsolete concept meaning applause. In Ukrainian speech, this term has been preserved and is used in speech to this day - “splash”, “splash of the valley”. The Russian “splash” and the Ukrainian “splash” are the same root words meaning the same action.

The word "carry" has two interpretations, its spelling and sound are absolutely identical, but being an outdated concept, it implies pregnancy, and in modern speech it means the process of moving an object (the princess can be carried in her arms or taken on a horse) or an experienced test (Kolya must be punished for your actions).

Important! Archaisms, like rare furniture, are not always and everywhere appropriate. Their use is of a point nature and gives the text a unique shade.

Useful video: archaisms and historicisms in language

Conclusion

Outdated words enrich speech, despite their "unpopularity", allow you to express yourself more vividly and beautifully. Lexical archaisms will remain at the hearing of the majority for a long time, due to their participation in works of literature and the melodiousness of the sound during pronunciation.

New. Some of them leave the vocabulary, because the object that they called disappears from use, for example, “polati” (a wide sleeping place between the stove and the wall) or “kaftan” (a type of outerwear). And others are gradually being replaced by new ones. For example, the outdated name of this part of the body - "neck" has been supplanted by the modern word "neck". And the “vezhda” has long been replaced by the modern version of the “eyelid”.

In the article we will talk about the names of parts of the human body that have disappeared from Russian speech and about which of the archaisms continue to be used today.

Obsolete vocabulary: parts of the body

In order to have some idea of ​​how different parts of the human body were called in the old days, here is a short list of their names with modern synonyms:

• hair - hair;
• face - face;
• forehead - forehead;
• eyelids - eyelids;
• pupil - pupil;
• lanitis - cheeks;
• pharynx - mouth;
• mouth - lips;
• vyya - neck;
• right hand - right hand;
• shuytsa - left hand;
• finger - finger;
• hand - palm;
• veins - blood vessels;
• mosli - bones;
• flesh - body;
• loins - thighs;
• dog - leg.

And for more clarity, you can look at the picture.

Of course, it would be difficult for our contemporary, if he is not a linguist, to understand the description of any disease given in the old days. Try to translate, for example, such a combination - "he has a kozhnik on his neck." The words "vyya" and "zakozhnik" are an outdated name. "Neck" and "boil" - these are their modern counterparts. So, the diagnosis turns out to be: "he has a boil on his neck." And the combination "fold the sled" had nothing to do with the sled called the lower jaw - therefore, in the above example, it refers to its fracture or dislocation.

What are archaisms

The obsolete names - neck (neck), blood vessels (veins), eyes (eyes), pupil (pupil) and others listed above belong to archaisms. This term in linguistics refers to lexical units that are not used in the modern language, since they have been replaced by synonyms, but they continue to be used as stylistically marked (that is, only in certain styles, for example, in artistic or business).

They are willingly used by the authors of historical novels in order to convey the spirit of the era, as well as by poets who seek to give their works a high style. Therefore, despite the fact that the mentioned lexical units were forced out of use, they did not disappear without a trace.

Many obsolete words continue to exist as part of established expressions:

• cherish as apple of an eye;
• in an instant eye;
• hamstrings shaking ( hamstrings- back side of the knee, popliteal fossa);
• finger pointing;
• one like finger;
• tear veins;
• expel your (zashey or scruff- as well as vyya- corresponds to the modern word "neck").

An obsolete name becomes generating for new words

It is not uncommon to find derivatives of obsolete words that have survived to this day. So the word "windows" at one time was formed from the obsolete - "eye". The fact is that the windows in the houses were previously made in a rounded shape and they, in fact, resembled eyes. For a long time, the windows in all buildings are rectangular or square, but the name has remained. From the plural of this word (“eyes”), new lexical units originated - “ och obvious", "in och yu", "for och nick", " och ki".

And the word « neck "the obsolete name is" neck ". The verb “howl” was formed from it, that is, “make throat sounds”. The obsolete word finger formed such familiar names as “on finger OK", " finger en", " perch atki". From the mouth and the forehead, modern ones originate - “ mouth ny", "naiz mouth b", " mouth ye", as well as " people ka".

The use of obsolete words in modern medicine and business speech

Some obsolete names have survived in medical terminology. For example, the metatarsus, which denoted the foot, gave life to the name of the foot bone, consisting of five tubular bones - “metatarsus”.

The human sides in Russia were called "sighs", and the area under the ribs - "under the sighs". These words have long disappeared from everyday speech, but for a therapist, gastroenterologist or surgeon, the term “iliac region” will say a lot. This is the same part of the body that is located under the ribs.

Outdated vocabulary is also used in official business style. For example, the words “deed”, “punishment”, “now” and turns “attached to this”, “in the proper form” can often be found in official correspondence or in judicial practice.

Use of archaisms in literature

As mentioned earlier, the use of obsolete words in literature is a way to give expression to speech. This technique is especially used by poets. For example, in verses, the outdated name of these body parts - “fingers”, “cheeks” and “vyya” will sound much brighter than “fingers”, “cheeks” or “neck”.

Archaisms give artistic speech a particularly solemn or sublime sound:

“Years have passed. You are with me again

But sad young forehead,

Eyes filled with sadness,

Clothes covered with dust” (A.N. Apukhtin).

True, they are often used with ironic overtones. For example: “What parent would not want to see their child as intelligent and grasping everything on the fly! But very often persistent attempts to make child miracle fail. Why?". This technique is quite common in feuilletons or satirical essays.

Errors in the use of obsolete words

Trying to decorate the text and show off with a rich vocabulary, some authors use archaisms, not taking into account their expressive coloring. Because of this, the text looks ridiculous or ambiguity appears in it: “The owner quickly saw business qualities of his manager…”, or: “But the young official was sickened even by the thought of bowing his vyyu in front of the authorities... As you can see, obsolete words are clearly out of place here. "Neck" and "saw" would be more in line with the general style.

Some authors distort their meaning when using such words. For example: “At the meeting were opened impartial facts…". But the fact is that the archaism "impartial" is a synonym for the modern adjective "impartial" and it can only be combined with the word "criticism". The author obviously wanted to report negative facts, but did not hesitate to think about the true meaning of the outdated word he used.

The Russian language is a kind of living organism, constantly changing and acquiring new forms. It sounded differently in different historical epochs, and the lexicon that has survived to this day has changed a lot. The texts of the Old Russian Chronicles, for example, today the usual the layman cannot understand. words change, although not so noticeably. New concepts constantly penetrate into the language from abroad, thanks to the discoveries of science and technology, thereby enriching it. Some concepts become unnecessary and are lost, others live for a very long time.

Active vocabulary - vocabulary, used in daily life. Passive vocabulary - words that leave us and are forgotten. Passive vocabulary includes:, historicism. Neologisms are new concepts, terms and concepts related to active vocabulary.

Historicisms and archaisms are important means of artistic expression.

In contact with

Archaisms

Archaisms there are:

1. Lexical - the most numerous group. Examples: lie - you can, very green, forehead - forehead, finger - finger.
2. Derivatives - a separately obsolete word-building element, usually a suffix. Examples: restaurant, promotion, Asians, coffee.
3. Phonetic - somewhat modified in sound. Examples: licorice, vorog, gishpansky, tie, string, number.
4. Semantic - lost their original meaning. Examples: shame - this word used to mean "spectacle"; a dream is a thought.
5. Grammatical - changed the gender. Piano, swan - were feminine.

historicisms

Historicisms are words that denote disappeared:

• clothes and footwear (zipun, armyak, cherevichi);
• household items (svetets - a stand for a torch);
• weapons (squeaker, axe);
• administrative units (county, parish);
• persons and positions (sergeant, policeman);
• military ranks (centurion, warrior, cuirassier);
• units of measurement (altyn, grosz);
• historical phenomena (rent, corvée).

It should be noted the social terminology of the Soviet era, which very quickly fell into disuse (Budyonovka, Revolutionary Committee). In Ushakov's dictionary they marked with a double mark new, historical.

What is the difference between concepts

Archaisms are objects or concepts that exist in our life, therefore are easily replaced by synonyms. For example: in Pushkin: "Noise, noise, obedient sail (sail)."

Historicisms are words denoting something that no longer exists. Therefore, they have no synonyms. For example: policeman - the lower rank of the police of tsarist Russia. Policemen in Moscow wore black uniforms, in other cities - green.

A metal plaque with a personal number and a coat of arms (provincial or city) was attached to the headdress. From Chekhov we read: “Ochumelov, the guard, is walking across the square, followed by a red-haired policeman with a sieve filled to the top with confiscated gooseberries.”

Important! Archaisms, unlike historicisms, have synonyms in the modern language.

Words and their meanings fall out of use for various reasons. Sometimes they return to circulation after a long time, changing its original value. After the revolution they returned: a soldier, a lieutenant, etc. In the fifties - a minister, a ministry. To collect information, scientists create dictionaries of obsolete words, in particular, an explanatory dictionary.

Archaisms differ from historicisms in that they can highlight the degree of obsolescence:

1. Words that have disappeared from the language and are not found even in derivative words. For example: which is a quarrel, blue - February, cancer - a grave.
2. They are not used on their own, but are present in the root. These are: rug - a mockery, beef - cattle, thin - skillful.
3. Preserved only in Stake - a small plot of land (neither a stake, nor ...), a falcon - a tool for destroying walls (a goal, like ...), zga - a path (no zgi is visible).

These concepts fell out of general use and are not used. They tell us about the distant times of the development of the language, about what has long passed.

So, let's conclude: words go out of frequent use, pass into passive, and even disappear altogether. If they were replaced by more comfortable ones in sound and retained their meaning, these are archaisms. If expressions are no longer needed, if the concepts themselves have disappeared, these are historicisms. Archaisms differ from historicisms in meaning.

The role of forgotten concepts in literature

Expressions recreate the color of the historical period in the narratives of military subjects.

Forgotten words tell us about the past, help the reader feel the spirit of the times. In the literature, you can come across an outdated vocabulary of two layers. Pushkin in The Captain's Daughter, in order to create the flavor of antiquity, deliberately introduces forgotten words from the 18th century into the text: corporal, soul jacket.

While writing the story, at the beginning of the next century, the author uses the usual, in that historical period, vocabulary: coachman, second. By now they are outdated.

They create solemnity of style in poetry.

Obsolete words (usually archaisms) give speech high poetic sound. In Blok’s verses we read: “youth is insane”, in Yesenin we notice: “with a light wave of a finger”, “I want to be a youth”.

They successfully implement the ideological ideas of the author, create rhythm and good rhyme in poetry. Lermontov liked to poetize the past. His “Song about the Merchant Kalashnikov” is a one-of-a-kind stylization of folklore of a large epic form. In order to bring the reader as close as possible, to describe the events of ancient times, the author used a large number of historicisms: guardsman, place of execution, cup, fathom.

Emphasize comic and satirical moments

The master of mockery Saltykov-Shchedrin skillfully used archaisms to create ironic situations and ridicule human vices. Choosing highly solemn terms and including them in a commonly used context, the author achieved a humorous effect (“The History of a City”).

Examples of words and expressions are often found in historical novels and fiction.

Cultural value of ancient vocabulary

The use of archaisms and historicisms expands the view about Russian culture and history. Education forms a full-fledged person, a versatile person who gets to know the world through languages.

A broad-minded person, spiritually and morally strong, aesthetically educated, respects and loves the true values ​​presented in literature. The great, mighty Russian language reflects a truly human attitude to the world.

Knowledge based on local history subjects of native speakers will be useful to foreign students studying Russian.

What is the difference between historicism and archaism?

Obsolete words - archaisms