English Vocabulary in the Aspect of Time

Besides the vocabulary that is in current (present-day) use, we also find archaic or obsolete words, which belong to some previous stage of language development but can still be found in works of fiction (especially in the works of Shakespeare, Chaucer, Swift or other classical authors). Cf. the archaic words Behold! (= Look!), Hark! (= Listen!), methinks ( = I think), Nay( = no), Wither are you going? (= Where are you going to ?), hither and thither (— here and there), thou/to thee (= you/to you), whilst (= while), awhile (=for some time), yon (= this, that), yonder (= there), etc. Archaic words are frequently used in poetry and thus belong also to poetic vocabulary (potic diction): cf. quoth ( — said), woe (= sorrow), swain (= shepherd), foe (= enemy), steed/charger (= horse), realm (= kingdom), nought/naught (= nothing), ere (= before), albeit (= although); here also belong certain shortened variants of the currently used words, e.g. oft ( = often), eve (= evening), morn (= morning), etc. The vocabulary that has gone out of use also includes the so called 'historisms' — words which reflect some phenomena belonging to the past limes, e.g. knight, yeomen (, independent peasants in old England), archer , sling , ram; cf. also Russian historisms like. On the other hand, we can also find in English vocabulary the so-called 'neologisms', i.e. words that have recently come into the language and are still felt as rather new: allergy, computer, astronaut, isotope, quasar, laser, aliens, supermarket, chain-stores, bikini, mini/maxi/midi (of clothes), paperbacks, etc. Comparatively new borrowings from other languages, which are not yet completely assimilated in the language (phonetically or grammatically), are stylistically marked as 'foreign' words (sometimes, as barbarisms); they usually belong to a lofty (bookish) style: e.g. protege, a propos, bonjour, idee fixe, chic (= of very good taste, fashionable), alter ego (= one's second self), de facto (= in point of fact), status quo (= the existing state of things), ibid/ibidem (= by the same author), etc., viz. (= videlicet) (namely).