What do you call someone who (over)uses archaic terms and expressions while writing?
I came across a literary article from one of my cousin's numerous English books. The author, in what I presume to be an effort to showcase their vocabulary and command over English, seems to have largely (ab)used outdated English terms, forcing me to flip pages in dictionaries every few sentences. One such instance would be the use of "betimes" instead of "early". While learning new words is always a good thing, I would have preferred less use of antiquated terms.
My questions
Is there an adjective or noun to describe such practice?
Are archaic expressions and words more preferred (than simple, everyday words) by authors of English literary articles?
Consider, archaist.
archaism: the use or conscious imitation of very old or old-fashioned styles or features in language or art. ODO
archaist (also, archaizer): a person who archaizes Wordnet by Farlex
archaize: v.intr. to use archaisms, as in prose, to suggest the past. archaizer n. AHD
Relating to the first part of your question:
- Prolix:
Tending to use big or obscure words, which few understand.
- Grandiloquent:
(of a person, their language or writing) given to using language in a showy way by using an excessive amount of difficult words to impress others.
- (a) sesquipedalian:
A person who uses long words.
- flowery:
Of a speech or piece of writing: too complicated; elaborate; with grandiloquent expressions; bombastic; verbose.
- turgid:
(of language or style) Overly complex and difficult to understand; grandiloquent; bombastic.
- Pedantic (many thanks Graffito):
There's nothing wrong with focusing on the details, but someone who is pedantic makes a big display of knowing obscure facts and details. Pedantic means "like a pedant," someone who's too concerned with literal accuracy or formality. It's a negative term that implies someone is showing off book learning or trivia, especially in a tiresome way.
marked by a narrow focus on or display of learning especially its trivial aspects
- You could say their writing has a high level of diffusion, although this may be misinterpreted for the more common scientific meaning:
prolixity of speech or writing; discursiveness.
- They or their writings may be inkhorn:
Affectedly or ostentatiously learned; pedantic: inkhorn words.
- Many thanks to Mitch for suggesting purple prose:
In literary criticism, purple prose is prose text that is so extravagant, ornate, or flowery as to break the flow and draw excessive attention to itself. Purple prose is characterized by the extensive use of adjectives, adverbs, zombie nouns, and metaphors. When it is limited to certain passages, they may be termed purple patches or purple passages, standing out from the rest of the work.