differentiate; alienation; dissimilation
Meanings
3 senses · 6 examplesverb
to become dissimilar or different gradually
Describes the process where things that were alike diverge or become distinct from each other over time.
Due to long-term geographical separation, these two dialects gradually diverged.
Lack of exchange easily leads to cultural differentiation.
noun
alienation (philosophical concept); transformation of one's essence into a dominating opposite
technicalA key concept in Marxist and Hegelian philosophy referring to the estrangement of workers from the products of their labor, or more broadly, the process whereby social relations appear as relations between things.
Marx elaborated on the theory of alienation of labor in the Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844.
In alienated labor, workers are separated from the products of their labor.
noun
dissimilation (phonetics); process where one of several similar sounds becomes different
technicalA phonological process where two nearby identical or similar sounds become less similar to avoid repetition or articulatory difficulty. Example: Latin 'peregrinus' becoming 'pilgrim' (l...l → l...r).
In the historical evolution of the English word 'pilgrim', the second [l] underwent dissimilation to [r].
Dissimilation is an important mechanism in phonological systems to avoid repetitive articulation.