:I think you are confused about the purpose of the language in WP:CITE. The point of that part of WP:CITE is, like WP:ENGVAR, to avoid this sort of discussion by simply deferring to the established style. As long as  changes the size of text, I feel it is inappropriate to use. Other people are free to start articles that do use , and I respect that by not removing it. On the other hand, articles that are started with foornotes but without  deserve equal respect. The guideline explicitly says that the first established style is the one that should be respected. — Carl ( ·