a sort. you can intend people to use a word you made up or pronounce it a certain way, but how it’s used or pronounced is how it’s going to be in the language regardless of its creator’s intent.
Language is not completely a democratic process. A 30:70 split on pronunciation doesn’t indicate that one version is going to fade into oblivion.
Pronunciation can evolve but so can definition. The word “literally” no longer means what it used to mean in common vernacular. Not everyone should be expected to accept these majority trends though. Many of us still want “literally” to preserve its original definition for example.
a sort. you can intend people to use a word you made up or pronounce it a certain way, but how it’s used or pronounced is how it’s going to be in the language regardless of its creator’s intent.
Language is not completely a democratic process. A 30:70 split on pronunciation doesn’t indicate that one version is going to fade into oblivion. Pronunciation can evolve but so can definition. The word “literally” no longer means what it used to mean in common vernacular. Not everyone should be expected to accept these majority trends though. Many of us still want “literally” to preserve its original definition for example.
“Old man yells at language changing over time.”
Edit: Sorry, I mean: “Eald mann hlýhst æt spræce wandlunge ofer tíde.”