CHAP, xxiii. NEW RIVAL TERMS AND DIALECTS. 463 



of ephemeral duration, which are thus invented by the young 

 and old in various classes of society, in the nursery, the 

 school, the camp, the fleet, the courts of law and the school, 

 and the study of the man of science or literature, could all be 

 collected together and put on record, their number in one or 

 two centuries might compare with the entire permanent 

 vocabulary of the language. It becomes, therefore, a curious 

 subject of inquiry, what are the laws which govern not only 

 the invention, but also the " selection," of some of these words 

 or idioms, giving them currency in preference to others ? for, 

 as the powers of the human memory are limited, a check must 

 be found to the endless increase and multiplication of terms, 

 and old words must be droj)ped nearly as fast as new ones 

 are put into circulation. Sometimes the new word or phrase, 

 or a modification of the old ones, will entirely supplant the 

 more ancient expressions, or, instead of the latter being 

 discarded, both may flourish together, the older one having 

 a more restricted use. 



Although the speakers may be unconscious that any great 

 fluctuation is going on in their language, — although when we 

 observe the manner in which new woi'ds and phrases are 

 thrown out, as if at random or in sport, while others get into 

 vogue, we may think the process of change to be the result 

 of mere chance, — there ai"e nevertheless fixed laws in action, 

 by which, in the general struggle for existence, some terms 

 and dialects gain the victory over others. The slightest 

 advantage attached to some new mode of pronouncing or 

 spelling, from considerations of brevity or euphony, may turn 

 the scale, or more powerful causes of selection may decide 

 which of two or more rivals shall triumph and which suc- 

 cumb. Among these are fashion, or the influence of an aris- 

 tocracy, whether of birth or education, popular writers, 

 orators, preachers, — a centralized government organizing its 

 schools expressly to promote uniformity of diction and to 



