Dwindling Vocabulary Alert

If you are under the age of 30, and live here in the U.S, and Texas in particular, odds are you don't understand the title of this post. In the previous post, the words "lackey","flunky", and "minion" were used, to the non-comprehension of my younger friends. I expect "dwindle" is going to be just as unfamiliar. Irony and paradox--we have this amazing resource at our fingertips--the internet. We have free access to online dictionaries and encyclopedias; even so, spelling and reading comprehension seem to plummet. Uh-oh--"plummet".
Yes, I have a bee in my bonnet (look it up, kids). Words give us a frame to hang ideas on--a tool for thinking about things. Words are names of concepts, ideas, and objects and stuff. When we lose a word, the very concept is threatened.
For instance--"jealousy" and "envy".
Jealous:
Pronunciation: 'je-l&s
Function: adjectiveEtymology: Middle English jelous, from Old French, from (assumed) Vulgar Latin zelosus, from Late Latin zelus zeal -- more at ZEAL1 a : intolerant of rivalry or unfaithfulness b : disposed to suspect rivalry or unfaithfulness2 : hostile toward a rival or one believed to enjoy an advantage3 : vigilant in guarding a possession

Envy:

Pronunciation: 'en-vE
Function: nounInflected Form(s): plural enviesEtymology: Middle English envie, from Old French, from Latin invidia, from invidus envious, from invidEre to look askance at, envy, from in- + vidEre to see -- more at WIT1 : painful or resentful awareness of an advantage enjoyed by another joined with a desire to possess the same advantage2 obsolete : MALICE 3 : an object of envious notice or feeling
See the difference?
If you are "jealous" of your friend's new car, it must be because you think it's going to screw your lover, or take your job.
I understand the whole "living language" thing. Language changes with common use--"parlance". In our case, it's shrinking, and slouching towards Orwell's concept of "newspeak".

Double-plus-ungood.