The English language changed much more quickly before we came up with that infernal device the printing press. And then someone had the dastardly notion of inventing the dictionary. Whereas before the language would change naturally, now people have this notion of what it "should" or "should not" be, and hang on to outdated rules of language. Languages evolve. Words tend to become easier to say, but not necessarily less complex. ("Man" used to literally mean any human being, and you would modify it as "woman" or "wereman." It was made simpler by making "man" also mean "wereman," and now some feminists get up in arms when you use it alone as its original meaning. "Girl" used to mean a child of any gender, and you'd have to specify "boy girl" if you were talking about a male. Et cetera.)

Andrew.