Tuesday, February 21, 2017

Quotation of the Day

Modern American Usage: A Guide

"[F]atalism about language cannot be the philosophy of those who care about language; it is the illogical philosophy of their opponents. Surely the notion that, because usage is ultimately what everybody does to words, nobody can or should do anything about them is self-contradictory. Somebody, by definition, does something; and this something is best done by those with convictions and a stake in the outcome, whether the stake of private pleasure or of professional duty does not matter. Resistance always begins with individuals.”


—Wilson Follett,  Modern American Usage: A Guide (1966).


Source:  Garner's Usage Tip of the Day







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