Recently came across the usage of "affect" in the context of assuming an appearance. Here is an example Google gives:
an American who had affected a British accent
How would this usage come across in modern prose, i.e., might it come across as affectatious?
Affected is perfectly modern, and not archaic. It can be a participle and an adjective. One can affect something, a limp, a stutter, an accent for a variety of purposes, not all worthy of blame or derision. To say e.g. that an Englishman affected a Texan accent could mean no more than that he imitated it in some speech, perhaps humorously, whereas to call someone's speech affected generally means that the speaker is trying to sound superior or more educated than they truly are.
