Lecture the word and its meaning

Neologisms.

A neologism is a newly created word or a phrase or a new meaning developed for an existing word, or a word borrowed from another language.
New notions constantly come into being and require new words to name them or new meanings of old words, e.g. computer, isotope, tape-recorder, supermarket, black hole, feedback. It does not matter how important a new thing is, compare: nuclear war and roll-neck.
There may be different ways of coining new words:

1. 
   compounding, e.g. brain-drain;
   
2. 
   shortening, e.g. bionics;
   
3. 
   affixation, e.g. workaholic, bookaholic, money-mad, movie-mad, speed-mad;
   
4. 
   conversion (often+composition), e.g. fall-out, teach-in,etc.
   

As a general rule, neologisms are at first clearly motivated. Sometimes newly borrowed or newly created words very soon begin to function as indivisible signs.
In the course of time the new word is either accepted into the general vocabulary and is no longer considered new or may not be accepted and disappears from the language. So some neologisms are short-lived, others become durable.

3. 
   Archaisms.
   

Neologisms are contrasted to words that dropped from the language (obsolete words) or survive only in special contexts (archaisms and historisms).
Archaisms are words that were once common but are now replaced by synonyms. Old words become rarely used and are mostly associated with poetic diction and historic novels.
e.g. betwixt – between, damsel – ‘a noble girl’, hark –listen, morn- morning, woe – sorrow.
Thou and thy, aye, nay are certainly archaic and long since rejected by common usage. Dialects are usually more conservative and preserve some archaic words and structures.
Sometimes an archaic word may undergo a sudden revival, e.g. kin is now widely used in American English.
Historisms are words denoting objects and phenomena which are things of the past and no longer exist.
e.g. types of boats : caravel, galleon ; carriages : berlin, calash, gig, phaeton, diligence, landeau ; clothes : doublets, tabard, bloomers.
A great many historisms occur in historical novels.

LECTURE 8