Ever wonder why French isn't as ubiquitous as English? Well, apart from the fact that you can catch a frog in your throat when pronouncing 'grenouille', the French word for frog (it's pronounced 'gr-nui-ya'), the language has a self-appointed custodian, l'Academie Francaise, a.k.a. the Language Police. English, without any pope to excommunicate 'wrong' words, has proliferated in happy, all-accommodating, ever-appropriating anarchy. French, under l'Academie, however, is exclusive and exclusionary. English is jollily inclusive, borrowing and amalgamating not just words from other languages but also usages by English-speakers from non-England countries.

Founded in the 17th c, l'Academie took 40 years - and nearly 400 years after receiving its first commission - to finally release the full 9th edition of the 'definitive' French dictionary. Formally presented to president Emmanuel Macron last week, the delayed dictionnaire contains many 'modern' words - added in the 1980-90s that are already old. And many too new to make it in. By being so rigid, l'Academie has ironically trapped French in amber, making it harder for the language to evolve. The lesson? Whether it's your to-do list or the language you speak in, pursuit of 'purity' - King's English, Academie's French or Viswa Bharati Bengali - misses the big picture. And the fun of a tongue.