carebear
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You missed (or ignored) the word "context".
In a legal matter, the precise definition matters based on which jurisdiction and time (the context) the crime occurs in. You can't defend yourself against a charge of murder using Common Law nor the law of a neighboring state.
In a political conversation again time and place matter, the Social Democrat party platforms in France and Germany are not identical.
It is not drift if different particularities maintain different precise definitions, because the definition can always be referrenced to maintain precision.
Drift occurs when, within a particular context, people choose to pick a convenient word rather than finding the correct word for that context. If instead people maintain proper usage within their relative contexts then definitions can be modified, precisely, over time, as needed.
Drift results in a net loss of words with important shades of meaning, a "dumbing down" of vocabulary and grammar.
The modification of language over time within context results in an enriched vocabulary and grammar. Improvement of English, not its degradation to a "least common denominator".
In a legal matter, the precise definition matters based on which jurisdiction and time (the context) the crime occurs in. You can't defend yourself against a charge of murder using Common Law nor the law of a neighboring state.
In a political conversation again time and place matter, the Social Democrat party platforms in France and Germany are not identical.
It is not drift if different particularities maintain different precise definitions, because the definition can always be referrenced to maintain precision.
Drift occurs when, within a particular context, people choose to pick a convenient word rather than finding the correct word for that context. If instead people maintain proper usage within their relative contexts then definitions can be modified, precisely, over time, as needed.
Drift results in a net loss of words with important shades of meaning, a "dumbing down" of vocabulary and grammar.
The modification of language over time within context results in an enriched vocabulary and grammar. Improvement of English, not its degradation to a "least common denominator".