David Czech
Member
- Joined
- Nov 17, 2012
- Member Type
- Student or Learner
- Native Language
- Czech
- Home Country
- Czech Republic
- Current Location
- Czech Republic
Hello,
I would like to ask native speakers a question about the adjective "duteous", which I found in Shakespeare´s "Othello". In The Free Dictionary, which is a compilation of several high-quality dictionaries, it is evaluated as "archaic and formal" in one entry (The Collins Dictionary), and not stylistically classified in other entries. According to Google search engine, the adjective "dutiful" occurs like ten times more often (I didn´t use specialized language copora).
My point is: isn´t it too formal, old-fashioned or perhaps even ridiculous (esp when used by a learner of English as a foreign language, whose speaking or writing skills are generally far from perfect)? Or is it still usable as a standard expression at least in written English?
Thanks
David
I would like to ask native speakers a question about the adjective "duteous", which I found in Shakespeare´s "Othello". In The Free Dictionary, which is a compilation of several high-quality dictionaries, it is evaluated as "archaic and formal" in one entry (The Collins Dictionary), and not stylistically classified in other entries. According to Google search engine, the adjective "dutiful" occurs like ten times more often (I didn´t use specialized language copora).
My point is: isn´t it too formal, old-fashioned or perhaps even ridiculous (esp when used by a learner of English as a foreign language, whose speaking or writing skills are generally far from perfect)? Or is it still usable as a standard expression at least in written English?
Thanks
David