Language itself changes slowly but the internet has speeded up the process of those changes so you notice them more quickly.

Anyone interested in language ends up writing about the sociological issues around it.

Spellings are made by people. Dictionaries - eventually - reflect popular choices.

Texting has added a new dimension to language use, but its long-term impact is negligible. It is not a disaster.

Word books traditionally focus on unusual and quirky items. They tend to ignore the words that provide the skeleton of the language, without which it would fall apart, such as 'and' and 'what,' or words that provide structure to our conversation, such as 'hello.

Vocabulary is a matter of word-building as well as word-using.

Language itself changes slowly but the internet has speeded up the process of those changes so you notice them more quickly.