Language, of course, is not static - it evolves. New words come, old words lose their original meanings, but people mostly stay the same. It is my opinion that preciseness of language, historically important, is now regarded as a hindrance. If you speak the King's english, you are regarded as a snob in the US. If you speak Webster's English, you are regarded as old-fashioned. If you speak, American Collegiate English, you are regarded as a member of the upper class. Most of us speak TV English, which is a mixture of traditional Webster's and American Vulgate. I could argue the merits of a good vocabulary and the benefits of precise speech and diction, but it would likely fall on deaf ears. It's, like, you know, huh, irrelevant.
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