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Originally Posted by Charbucks  bns, I agree with a lot of what you said, but I do disagree with that statement. I recognize that words slowly evolve as society changes and colloquialisms are adopted into the language, but I think it's important that words mean the same thing at the same time. That is, I think that "indoctrination" to me, now, should mean the same as it does to you right now. Many arguments are based on definitions of words, and I appreciate having a third party authority to describe that definition so that everyone is on the same page. |
Essentially, I agree with you. At a time and place, words should and generally do mean the same thing. But then, I would consider this forum to be a "place." But things that are said in a London tavern may carry different meanings than what they would mean at a Lakers game. That's okay, in fact it's inevitable. We also have to use some intelligence with this. I have a whole lot of pithy sayings that I just don't use here, because I doubt people from, say, the Netherlands would have a clue what I was talking about. When I talk to people that I know come from a different background than I do, I try to use plain understandable English to avoid goof-ups like that.
What's gotten into me today? I'm being unnecessarily verbose, and I don't know why.