Abstract
In the Early Modern period, the rate at which new lexical items appeared in the English language was unprecedented, especially in the years 1590-1620. At the same time, the obsolescence or complete disappearance of forms was taking place, affecting a significant portion of the English word-stock, including those short-lived coinages or borrowings which had entered the language only several decades or centuries earlier.
Using authentic examples from the EEBO (Early English Books Online) corpus, this paper provides an insight into the role of lexical obsolescence and loss in the development of Early Modern English. Based on frequency data, a list of candidates for obsolescence has been generated.
Although near synonymy and polysemy are identified as the basic catalysts for obsolescence, other factors include disappearance of the word's original referent, weakening of emphasis through overuse, and political correctness, i.e., both internal and external to the language. The most interesting candidates will be selected and the conditions signalling the decline of these forms analysed and discussed.
In conclusion, a classification of lexical obsolescence will be proposed, with regard to both language-internal and relevant language-external processes.