Steam was literally coming out of my ears when I read this week that the Oxford English Dictionary now defines 'literally' as a word used to emphasise a metaphor. It wasn't really and there's no way I'm going to give up the older definition of 'literally' as indicating that something is true just because the most respected judge of the English language says I can.

These arbiters of language are spoiling all my fun. No longer can I say to teenagers, 'No, you did not literally die of embarrassment because you are clearly still alive.' The philistines have won. Because dictionary definitions are about usage, the constant misuse of the word means that 'literally' has gone the way of 'disinterested' which used to mean 'neutral' but is now used to mean 'uninterested'.

'Literally' and 'disinteretsed' are just the latest in a long line of words to have their meaning changed by the people. When Shakespeare said 'presently', he meant 'right now', but it gradually came to mean 'in a while'. I expect that began with builders saying they would definitely be there 'presently' when they meant they might manage next week.

There are literally millions of examples (see how I'm getting the hang of the new usage). For example, you might insult me by saying I'm conceited for thinking I know better than others how to use English correctly (and knowing Echo readers, somebody  probably will) but a few hundred years ago you would have used the same word to compliment me for being clever.

Even in living memory, we've seen the word 'gay' radically change its meaning. And 'web' is unlikely to conjure an image of a spider any more. 'Awesome' used to describe jaw-dropping wonders of the universe. Now a flavour of ice cream gains the epithet. In fact, superlatives are so overused that we literally (old usage) have nothing left to describe significant moments, as you realise when victims of momentous events are interviewed.

That's the way with language. Words change. Style changes too. My job involves writing sales letters, press releases and advertising copy, so it's important that I speak with a contemporary voice but at the same time I have to make sure that the words I use still have force.  Or to put it in today's usage, I'm literally being swept down the river of changing language while, like, hanging on to the awesome log of meaningful words, innit?