Sweet are the usages of diversity

Abstract

Usage is a choice among alternatives to which users attribute social value. The long tradition of English usage study has to some extent created the problems it studies. Works in that tradition can be classed into seven types. Three types engage in subjective moralizing (1) based on personal information and prejudice, (2) supplemented by the recommendations of a panel giving colorful, idiosyncratic responses, or (3) based on a summary of the subjective moralizing and prejudice of others. Four other types aim at an objective reporting of (4) opinions about use, (5) other reports of use, (6) actual use, or (7) a comprehensive account of actual use, reports of use, opinions, and subjective moralizing. A notable work of the last type is Webster's Dictionary of English Usage (1989).