Hi David,
I don't know if you realise it or not. But with the analysis of the uses of plod in Australian and English variants of English you have shown that you do not disagree with their having an uncancellable meaning. But rather that you disagree with what that uncancellable meaning is.
Of course, as we have already agreed. Everything can ultimately be cancelled. We just need to make a new usage and get enough people to use the word in the new way and we've cancelled the meaning. But as Karl has already pointed out I don't think Rolf was ever suggesting that languages do not evolve in this way. He was analysing a very specific snapshot of the language.
James Christian
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