Don't like "post modernist English"? (Whatever that is...)

So, do tell.. at what point in the development of this notoriously changeable language should it have been set in stone?

In Chaucers day? The reign of Elizabeth 1? End of WWI? Last week?

Don't like new words? Lucky we aren't reading Shakespeare (or Shakspere or any of a number of other spellings) for the first time now... he introduced a great many new words in his writings. Many did not stand the test of time it's true -and I would suggest relaxiness is firmly in that category as a suggested addition to the language - but there doesn't seem to be any rules about it.. fortunately (IMO) English has no equivalent of the Academie Francaise.

From your own post...is "git" a word that should be used by "reasonably well educated" people? Are you happy with the Americanism "fan" rather than the more traditional english term supporter?


Just pulling your chain of course... but I am fascinated by calls for the English language to somehow stop changing... given its history I suspect that would be rather difficult to achieve!