We know that the life of the language ever grows and changes, with some remaining and others decaying, admitting the power of the masses over the language ; and some dictions are destined to turn into clichés, archaisms, or obsoletes, but it is a plain fact that they once had raison dêtre ; and we cannot decide that none of them will have occasions in which they are to be happily utilized again. We ought to see them as they are, and find out from all points the reason why they have come out. Old expressions must not be disregarded only because they are old, while new ones should not be used only because they are new ; some of them, whether they are old or new, have their places in which they are to be properly used. The choice of the precise word that will alone express the intended meaning, and the correct use of the word syntactically or idiomatically should be taken into consideration so that good style of writing or speaking will be able to be realized. Here this reminds me of Jonathan Swift's famous dictum, “Proper words in proper places, make the true definition of a style.”
In conclusion, there are many causes in a change of speech habits. Our attitude should be towards the reliability of an available collection of linguistic facts, and of a careful investigation of it, because allowable usage is based on the actual practice of cultivated people rather than on rules of syntax or logic. When we cannot have a satisfactorily definite answer, the only thing that remains to be done, or that can be done, is to look at the facts and judge them for ourselves through our careful survey of them.
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