Dear Miriam, recently while reading with a young friend, we came across three words or phrases that I had to explain: chilblain, chamber pot and parlour. I wonder if these words are now no longer used and if their use indicates a certain age? I know that words change meaning over the years; for example, “cool” in my day meant not too hot and just not too cold, and now of course it means that something is just right.

Yours sincerely, Chambermaid.

Dear Chambermaid, I’m guessing your young friend hasn’t experienced the pain of a chilblain since the double-glazing was installed. As for the chamber pot that was once stored under the bed of his or her grandparents, that has probably long since been remodelled as a home for vegetation, while the parlour once reserved for special occasions is now used as a games room and has a flatscreen TV on the wall where once a painting was entertainment enough.

Whether these are old words or words associated with experiences of a time past is probably a question of context, but while your friend may have been at a loss as to their meaning, he or she would probably fare better with some of the words added to the Cambridge and Oxford dictionaries over the past 12 months.

Someone who is “hangry” is said to be experiencing a blend of hunger and anger, with satisfying the former most likely to quell the latter. Mind you, if there is “cakeage” involved (a charge applied by a restaurant for serving a cake not supplied by them), the anger may return before long.

The “clipped-wing generation” are unable to leave their parents’ nest due to the prohibitive cost of securing their own accommodation. “Adultism” is discrimination against young people (who may or may not still be living with their parents).

“Manspreading” is when a man, most commonly on public transport, sits with his legs wide apart in such a fashion that he is invading the space of those unfortunate enough to be to his left or right. “Dude-fussing” is inefficient, unfocused actions designed to give the appearance of performing some sort of useful activity.

“Instafamous” describes a person who has achieved a level of fame through posting pictures of themselves to social networks. While somebody going on a “digital diet” would be seeking to curb the amount of time spent/lost to the device seemingly glued to the end of their arm.

If that isn’t enough, when you consider that the Oxford dictionary word of the year for 2015 was an emoji (“the face with tears of joy”), you can see that the battle for language is one that is moving from the page to the ever-smaller screen.

And it’s not just words that are changing; the rules which govern their usage also seem to be becoming less strict. Where once it might have been frowned upon to end a sentence with a preposition, now it seems to be something that (most) people are perfectly fine with. And as for starting a sentence with a conjunction, well it seems that was never a rule in the first place, but simply something that grew in fashion.

Unlike the French with their Alliance Française, there is no single body responsible for the governance of English usage so the best bet is to stick to your own standards and hope those of the next generation are guided along the way.

As you said in your letter, words can change in meaning over time, while others simply become redundant. I guess the evolution of language is mirroring that of humankind. As for your young friend, the best chance he or she has of ever getting a chilblain is probably from frantically checking status updates on their smartphone on a cold winter’s morning.

A Reader Writes

Dear Miriam, I’m writing in relation to the letter from a lady who wanted to give a token gift to her cousin for their wedding. I can fully understand why her family are embarrassed by her not giving a proper present. You give a token present to people you don’t know very well and aren’t invited to their wedding. A wedding present isn’t about covering the cost of having you there – it’s to wish the couple all the best. She mentions her weekend away, but that’s not the bride and groom’s fault – they’ll still expect a proper present. Her family will probably end up giving a present on her behalf as she was invited. Other than in that case, I always feel you give great advice. Cork Reader. CL