'Does this evolution also mean that word definitions are changing?' - Your Letters: June 6

It is generally understood that the English language is in a state of evolution. May I demonstrate thus: Years ago when meeting an acquaintance one may have said “Good day, wither goest thou”. Today we’d probably say “Hello, where are you going?”

Does this evolution also mean that word definitions are changing? I question the word ‘poverty’, which is frequently preceded with the word ‘relative’. Poverty means poor. If someone is poor they cannot house, clothe or feed themselves adequately. Relative (poverty) suggests that if all the people in the street where you live own two cars and you only have one; then you are in poverty.

In the English that I was taught some words were absolute such as ‘dead’; either you are or are not. Poverty obviously is gradable. Well, it is nearly meal-time and I am almost hungry so I shall slowly prepare some food in case I am hungry later on.

Andy Chetwood, West Midlands

WELLIES COULD BE THE SEA SOLUTION

I think long and hard about the problems besetting our once great nation and I feel I have found a simple and relatively cheap solution to the current invasion of our shores.

Think of it this way: Ask yourself why the French police do not enter the water once people are in the sea?

Quite obviously, they do not want their Gucci footwear damaged by salty sea water. Very understandable as a pair of Gucci trainers might set you back the Euro equivalent of 850 quid.

So what's to be done? Fully costed and fully funded (reduce the state pension to pay for this) we should install a series of shoe racks along the French coast, We could then pay for a few thousand wellingtons of various sizes suitable for French feet.

Any sign of migrants entering the water would result in a swift change from Gucci into Dunlop. Problem solved. It's so easy folks.

Alan M Etheridge, Sedgley

CONCLUSION WAS WRONG ON SWAN

An instance of how the animal and bird loving public can jump to entirely wrong conclusions was shown when two resting swans were allegedly ‘shot by youths with air rifles’ and widespread police enquiries were conducted in the area.

When, fortunately, a qualified vet conducted post mortems on the birds, he revealed that they had been killed by an animal and not air gun pellets!

What animal killed the swans was not clear, but otters and badgers do sometimes kill swans for food, as Henry Williamson’s book Tarka the Otter (1921) reveals, and he spent years studying the creatures.

W F Kerswell, Picklescott

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