What we're arguing about here is "prescriptive" versus "descriptive." Linguistics is the second of the two. Scientific data says nothing about right or wrong. I

What we're arguing about here is "prescriptive" versus "descriptive." Linguistics is the second of the two. Scientific data says nothing about right or wrong. It simply says what "people" do; it doesn't tell us what to do. As to taste, or prescriptive rules of language, what we're talking about is the use of language by educated people who make a point of expressing themselves clearly and elegantly. These are not "unscientific" ideas about language but, instead, simply non-scientific. Science here has no place. You may say "taste is taste," and that's true. You're free to speak and write anyway you choose. And if something is a'ight with you, have fun with it. Your peeps should have no trouble understanding you. My original point takes place in the context of criticizing someone who is writing in a public forum about writing.