I, too, unfortunately do not have the time to get entangled into this fascinating discussion, but two quotes sprang to mind: Quote #1 "When *I* use a word, " Humpty Dumpty said in a rathe scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to mean -neither more nor less." "The question is," said Alive, "whether you *can* make words mean so many different things." "The question is," said Humpty Dumpty, "which is to be master - that's all." ~~~Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking Glass Quote #2 "If one man says whore and another hears hoar, of what use it it? Speech, no matter how eloquent, is not communication. If one man draws a star and another sees a cross, of what use is it? Pictures, even if they contain color, even if they move, are not communication. If a man caresses a woman and the woman feels the blade of a knife, of what use is it? Touch, no matter how deeply felt, is not communication. For a communication to happen, the construct in one mind must be duplicated by another mind." (Foeti pno-Kaiel, creche teacher of the maran-Kaiel) ~~Donald Kingsbury, Courtship Rite