ABSTRACT
In Chapter 2 we saw that the lexicon is always changing – words disappear, while new ones are being created (or borrowed) all the time. Meanings too are in a constant state of ux. More than any other aspect of language, they are linked to the life and culture of speakers, and this can take expressions on extraordinary journeys. Attempts have been made to nd patterns, even regular semantic principles of change, but words and their meanings are strangely volatile beasts and many defy classication.
