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Frequently misused archaic words

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Stellaria:
I would like to know the correct usage of "forsooth". I have seen it used as an interjection, but many of the times I see it, it doesn't look properly in context, even though I don't actually know what the proper context is.

Maker Magpie:
Quote from: Stellaria on April 27, 2012, 07:26:35 am>>>>I would like to know the correct usage of "forsooth". I have seen it used as an interjection, but many of the times I see it, it doesn't look properly in context, even though I don't actually know what the proper context is.
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There are two parts to the word "forsooth" -- "for" and "sooth". So far as I know, the first part means what it usually does, and "sooth" means "truth". So "forsooth" is an adverb that means "for truth" or "truly". I believe you can generally interchange it with "indeed".

Apparently it can also be used "to give an ironic politeness to questions," but I'm not sure if that's a modern addition or not.

Ravus:
Ive always thought of it as a medieval "for reals" or "for serious"

Odran:
Quote from: Magpie Saegar on April 27, 2012, 08:29:53 am>>>>Quote from: Stellaria on April 27, 2012, 07:26:35 am>>>>I would like to know the correct usage of "forsooth". I have seen it used as an interjection, but many of the times I see it, it doesn't look properly in context, even though I don't actually know what the proper context is.
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There are two parts to the word "forsooth" -- "for" and "sooth". So far as I know, the first part means what it usually does, and "sooth" means "truth". So "forsooth" is an adverb that means "for truth" or "truly". I believe you can generally interchange it with "indeed".

Apparently it can also be used "to give an ironic politeness to questions," but I'm not sure if that's a modern addition or not.
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http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/forsooth

Odran:
Quote from: Alric on April 13, 2012, 12:31:08 am>>>>If you want to get a handle on this stuff really quickly, grab yourself a king james bible and read until you get a good feel for it (I'd say Shakespeare, but the bible's easier to follow). Pick a fun book like Judges, Samuel 1 and 2, or Kings 1 and 2 - they're all about history and battles and fun stuff. If you read enough, you'll start to learn the difference between knoweth / knowest, and thee / thou unconsciously, without having to look back at Odran's fantastic but complicated list.
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The King James, or any period bible, is written in a translation-style. It makes use of vocabulary and grammar that would not have been in typical speech at the time. For example, the King James uses "thou/thee/thy/thine" to translate every instance of the 2nd person singular. In common speech, "ye/you/your/yours" would have been used in when addressing superiors or speaking formally, as I mentioned above. I would compare to a more literal modern bible translation versus typical spoken English: it is still modern English, but a special formal variety of modern English.

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