before divergent dialects lose mutual intelligibility completely, they
In the modern world, language change is often socially problematic. Long
before divergent dialects lose mutual intelligibility completely, they
begin to show difficulties and inefficiencies in communication, especially
under noisy or stressful conditions. Also, as people observe language
change, they usually react negatively, feeling that the language has "gone
down hill". You never seem to hear older people commenting that the language
of their children or grandchildren's generation has improved compared
to the language of their own youth.