The language is undergoing an ongoing process of replacing obsolete words with new ones. Some of them leave the vocabulary, because the object that they called, for example, “stripe” (a wide berth between the stove and the wall) or “caftan” (type of outer clothing), disappears from use. And others are gradually being replaced by new ones. For example, the modern name “neck” is supplanted by the outdated name of this part of the body - “vyya”. And the “visions” have long been replaced by the modern version of the “eyelids”.
In the article we will talk about the names of the parts of the human body that have disappeared from Russian speech and about which of the archaisms continue to be used today.
Outdated vocabulary: body parts
In order to have some idea of what the different parts of the human body were called in the old days, here is a short list of their names with modern synonyms:
- vlas - hair;
- face - face;
- brow - forehead;
- visions - eyelids;
- the apple is the pupil;
- Lanites - cheeks;
- pharynx - mouth;
- mouth - lips;
- vyya - the neck;
- right hand - right hand;
- shuytsa - left hand;
- finger - finger;
- hand - palm;
- veins - blood vessels;
- mosly - bones;
- the flesh is the body;
- loins - hips;
- the dog is the foot.
And for greater clarity, you can consider the picture.
Of course, for our contemporary, if he was not a linguist, it would be difficult to understand the description of an ailment given in the old days. Try to translate, for example, such a combination - "he has a cutter on the top." The words “vyya” and “zakozhnik” are an obsolete name. “Neck” and “boil” - these are their modern counterparts. So, the diagnosis is: "he has a boil on his neck." And the combination “roll up the slide” was not related to winter fun. The lower jaw was called a sled - therefore, the above example speaks of its fracture or dislocation.
What are archaisms
The outdated name - neck (vyya), blood vessels (veins), eyes (eyes), pupil (apple) and others listed above belong to archaisms. In linguistics, this term refers to lexical units that are not used in the modern language, as they are replaced by synonyms, but they continue to be used as stylistically marked (that is, only in certain styles, for example, in art or business).
Authors of historical novels willingly use them in order to convey the spirit of the era, as well as poets who seek to give their works a high style. Therefore, despite the fact that the mentioned lexical units were displaced from use, they did not disappear without a trace.
Many obsolete words continue to exist as part of established expressions:
- cherish like the apple of an eye ;
- in no time ;
- the nodules are shaking (the nibs are the back of the knee, the popliteal fossa);
- finger pointing;
- one like a finger ;
- tear the veins ;
- to expel you ( louse or scruff - as well as vyya - corresponds to the modern word "neck").
Outdated title becomes producing for new words
Derivatives of obsolete words, preserved to this day, are not rare. So the word "window" at one time was formed from the obsolete - "eye". The fact is that the windows in the houses were previously made rounded and they really looked like eyes. For a long time already the windows in all buildings are rectangular or square, and the name remains. From the plural of this word (“eyes”), new lexical units arose - “ very appearable”, “ very good ”, “for full time ”, “ points ”.
And the word " neck" has an outdated name - "vyya". From it formed the verb "howl," that is, "make throat sounds." The word finger that has become obsolete has formed such familiar names as “ finger ok”, “ finger ”, “ pepper attic”. From the old words, the mouth and the person derive their origin from the modern - “ oral ”, “from the mouth ”, “ mouth ”, as well as “bang”.
Use of obsolete words in modern medicine and business speech
Some obsolete names of body parts are preserved in medical terminology. For example, the ancient metatarsus, which denoted the foot, gave birth to the name of the foot bone, which consists of five tubular ones - “metatarsal bone”.
The human sides in Russia were called “sighs”, and the area under the ribs was called “under sighs”. These words have long disappeared from everyday speech, but for the therapist, gastroenterologist or surgeon, the term "iliac region" will say a lot. This is the very part of the body that is located under the ribs.
Outdated vocabulary is also used in the official business style. For example, the words “act”, “punishment”, “now” and the phrase “attached to this”, “in proper form” can often be found in official correspondence or in judicial practice.
The use of archaisms in literature
As mentioned earlier, the use of obsolete words in the literature is a way to give expressiveness to speech. Especially often poets use this technique. For example, the verses will sound much brighter than the “fingers”, “cheeks” or “neck” of the outdated name of these parts of the body - “fingers”, “lanita” and “howl”.
Archaisms give art speech a particularly solemn or sublime sound:
“Years passed. You are with me again
But a sad young man
Eyes turned longing
My clothes are dusty ”(A.N. Apukhtin).
True, they are often used with ironic coloring. For example: “What kind of parent would not want to see his child as intelligent and grasping everything on the fly! But very often persistent attempts to make a miracle out of a child fail. Why?". This technique is quite common in feuilleton or satirical essays.
Errors in the Use of Obsolete Words
Trying to decorate the text and show off with rich vocabulary, some authors use archaisms, not taking into account their expressive coloring. Because of this, the text looks ridiculous or double-meaning appears in it: “The owner quickly saw the business qualities of his manager ...”, or: “But even the young official was disgusted with the idea of persuading his superior to the authorities ...” As you can see, outdated words are clearly inappropriate here. “Neck” and “saw” would be more consistent with the general style.
Some authors, when using such words, distort their meaning. For example: "At the meeting, unpleasant facts were revealed ...". But the fact is that archaism is “impartial” - it is a synonym for the modern adjective “impartial” and it can only be combined with the word “criticism”. The author clearly wanted to report negative facts, but did not hesitate to think about the true meaning of the outdated word he used.