In the 19th century, there was a mistaken belief that the English language was superior to others, w

In the 19th century, there was a mistaken belief that the English language was superior to others, with different views on why this was the case. Some believed English had progressed further than other languages, while others thought that languages had degraded from their former excellence. This led to concerns about preserving the language through attention to linguistic details, despite the futility of such efforts. Additionally, there were worries about "proper behavior" in language, with etiquette books promoting various prohibitions on language use without a clear consensus on what constituted "correct English."