Sorry didn't respond to your excellent points, Snail. My non-response simply expressed my acceptance of your points.

But I now do respond to disagree with your last point. Words, like all artefacts, have a purpose. In their case, it is to establish communication. Over-defined [ie too far broadened], this essential purpose is marred and frustrated . In a free country, you can go on calling Bob Dylan folk if you like -- or the Beatles or Lady Gaga, or whoever the hell you like. Just as, it being a free country, I am free to call my cat a dog if it will give me any satisfaction.

But she will still say miaouw and not woof-woof; and Dylan will still be a talented writer of original songs and Lady Gaga an agreeable pop-singer whom my wife admires.

What satisfaction is to be gained by anybody by this perversion of a useful artefact -- a word -- from its purpose -- communication -- I remain at a loss to identify.

≈M≈