These are sometimes positive, but not always. The result of the continuous evolution of the language and the additional forces is that languages can never be at a communication optimum, and will always be full of quirks and oddities. Language must have have basic units, which have their own meaning. The basic structure of most of messages is association of some object with attribute or effect. Semantic information normally used whenever it is available to decide about the appropriate combination.
Word order is used for simple and frequently used features of the grammar.
The grammar has to allow combining any message with more information. The main bulk of words mean either an object, an attribute, an action or an effect. The language must have tools to make identification of objects efficient. The language must have a way to signify repeated reference to the same object, and make it cheap. Languages are far from optimum.