As the linguist Ferdinand de Saussure argued, language constitutes our world, it doesn’t just record it or label it. Words are not simply a verbal badge we attach to things; they are how we create and understand the world around us.

If we have no word for “freedom”, for example, how can the concept exist? Likewise, without the word “perimenopause,” how does one account for the surge of violence that erupts when presented with a loved one breathing through a whistling nostril? You see? Words matter.

The other lovely thing about words is that they are always changing. Language is not static, but is in a continual state of renewal and adaptation. Yes, we all have a lot of fun bemoaning how Gen Z are abusing the sanctity of the English language with their “rizz,” “delulu,” and “lit,” but deep down we know that it’s a rite of passage for the young to come up with a new lexicon that baffles their elders. We all did it. I came of age during that bizarre Pauly Shore movie blip in the 1990s, when he would say things like, “don’t tax my gig so hardcore, cruster”. I used to try and talk like that, just to be cool.

You might work yourself up into a right old huff railing about “not being able to say anything anymore” when a HR representative gently points out that “tosspot” is not an appropriate word to use in a performance review, but linguistic change is essential. The fact that our language responds to changing social narratives and can adapt to be more representative and more nuanced is truly a wonder, and one that I am very much here for.

However, I do have to put my foot down when words become more opaque and less nuanced. And when that is being done to satisfy an algorithm, action must be taken. If you are not on social media, you may have been spared this, but others of you may have become aware of a lexical shift that began a few years ago to avoid online censors, primarily on

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