It first appears as a misuse, then as a style, then as a language, then as the place everyone else has to go.

This quote describes how linguistic or cultural innovations typically evolve through stages—beginning as incorrect usage, gaining stylistic adoption, becoming formalized as legitimate language, and finally achieving such widespread adoption that non-users must adapt to it. The statement reflects on how language prescriptivism gradually yields to descriptivism as innovations become mainstream and inescapable.

Source: Cristobal Valenzuela (X) | 2026-05-16