[Roger Slater]

Bill, you beat me to the punch on this. It's very cool. But your link charts it only to the year 2000. If you change it to 2010, there's been a big uptick in the last ten years.

[Maryann Corbett]

It'll be interesting to check whether that uptick is an artifact of a change in the number of sources being counted....

[Peter Chipman]

...or a rise in the overall level of human sorrow?

[Roger Slater]

I can't imagine that the numbers aren't adjusted to take into account the number of sources. Otherwise the comparative numbers would be pretty much meaningless.

[Michael Cantor]

"Alas" isn't the only word on the edge of obsolescense.. Here's an old favorite of mine that has become endangered.

[Andrew Frisardi]

That chart is amazing, Bill. Thanks so much for that link, a new toy for Christmas. I think what Roger says about the rise over the past ten years is because of this thread!

[W.F. Lantry]

Originally Posted by Michael Cantor

"Alas" isn't the only word on the edge of obsolescense.. Here's an old favorite of mine that has become endangered.

Mel Brooks needn't waste his time on this:

http://ngrams.googlelabs.com/graph?c...=0&smoothing=3

Thanks,

Bill

[Gail White]

I'm making a late addition to this thread because I noticed the use of "Alas" in two of the books I received for Christmas, one fiction and one nonfiction, both by British authors. It seemed to be shorthand for "unfortunately" or "sad to say." So "alas" is by no means dead in the water.

[Adam Elgar]

I think it's quite often used this way in British prose, Gail, and in speech. Seems to be only poets who are troubled by it.