Owen—Hybrid Parts of Speech. 
227 
ing tends (when once the no longer novel is abandoned) to 
restrict or even nullify his choice. 
Such desire to do what others rarely do, is more than offset 
by a tendency to do that only which others do. The ordinary 
expressdonal method of others dominates the individual, fore¬ 
stalling choice, not only when the method is, but also when it 
is not, exhibited formally in a general statement—say a rule. 
In the former case, the numerically unimportant users of a 
language who consciously obey a rule, no more exert a linguis¬ 
tic choice than he who obeys an order to be silent. To gain a 
teacher’s approval, to escape his disapproval, to avoid conspicu¬ 
ousness, to side with a legion of predecessors, the language- 
user abrogates what might have been a choice 79 between lin¬ 
guistic possibilities, in favor of what may be called a choice 
between choice and imitation. Rather, it may be said, he 
makes no choice of his own, but adopts the choice of others. 
At least his choice is secondary; and, being void of any genuine 
expressional motive, it may be neglected in favor of that bona 
fide prior choice of which it is the merest reflection. 
In the latter case, the doing of what others do is, rather, 
subconscious. To illustrate this, desiring ultimate eternal 
happiness, and—as a colloquialism puts it—“saying whatever 
comes into my head,” it is eminently possible that I use the 
words “I want to be an angel.” Tor, beginning in early child¬ 
hood, I have, at one time and another, read or heard those 
initial words of an infants’ hymn presumably scores of times. 
Accordingly the “path” or channel between a mental status 
and a particular expression, is in this case deeply worn. Given 
then the postulated mental status, the cited expression ensues 
by a process rather reactive than elective. If you ask me why 
I used the particular expression, I properly answer that I 
couldn’t, or certainly didn’t, help myself. Precedent has in 
79 To illustrate, intending to express in French what is expressed in 
English by “If I liked him, I should invite him,” I am keenly aware 
that my hypothesis will not endure assertion. Accordingly my natural 
choice of mode would lead to “Si je l’aimasse . . .” By rule, how¬ 
ever, I am bidden to forego the use of the regular subjunctive form, and 
to substitute what seems at first to be an indicative—namely “aimais”— 
but obviously is not indicative in the sense of accomplishing assertion. 
