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Andrew Nowicki wrote: > I disagree. There is universal trend towards shorter > words and simpler grammar. Long words are used in > spoken language to improve comprehension in a noisy > environment. Jens Wilkinson wrote: >This is an intriguing statement, about the trend >toward shorter words. I assume that you're not the >Comte de St.-Germain, and consequently that this is >not something that you've witnessed personally. Do you >have some evidence for this, or perhaps a slightly >more detailed explanation? > >Very honestly, this isn't simply a hostile question. I >suspect you may be correct, but I think it's a >question that deals not so much with the evolution of >language as with changes in technology. I do not remember the source, but I read some books about Slavic languages -- their grammar was generally simplified in the past millennium. Polish language has probably more complex grammar than other Slavic languages despite a simplification reform that took place early in the middle ages. (I speak fluent Polish.) I no longer speak Russian, but I remember that Russians like to make abbreviations, for example: univermag = universalnyj magazin. U.S. military abbreviates just about everything. There are plenty of abbreviations in everyday English: specs, cop, mall, ad, grandma, Bill, Tom, Rick...