Subj : New Year's Day. To : Ardith Hinton From : Anton Shepelev Date : Mon Mar 01 2021 19:04:50 Ardith Hinton: AH> The English language dropped many inflections during the AH> Middle Ages, and this trend continues with e.g. the use AH> of the word "actor" to describe both males & females. I fear this change is political, but agree that we are los- ing `whom`, `whence`, `whither`, `thou`, `thee`, `ye`, &c. AH> It doesn't necessarily result in shorter words. But the AH> pace of modern life seems to be increasing as we AH> speak... I have heard this referred to as an excluse for or the cause of many negative changes in our lives, but it is nobody but ourselves who are to blame. We have let smartphones and so- cial networks enslave our society and largely supplant hu- mane commication, the iconic example being a couple at a restaurant, each half absorbed in his or her own smartphone with a bluish face. AH> When I switched to the elementary level, others comment- AH> ed on how much healthier I looked. Why do we not hear from your pupils in these group? --- * Origin: nntp://news.fidonet.fi (2:221/6.0) .