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Abstract
Language gradation — the systematic alternation of segments within a lexical stem (also called apophony, ablaut, consonant gradation, or root-and-pattern alternation) — occurs across genetically unrelated languages and language families. This article surveys cross-linguistic manifestations of gradation, outlines phonological, morphological, and cognitive explanations for its recurrence, and discusses implications for typology, contact linguistics, language acquisition, and computational modeling. Evidence that gradation arises from a combination of phonological processes, morphological reanalysis, frequency-driven analogical change, and contact-induced convergence indicates that gradation phenomena are functionally motivated and typologically significant. Understanding gradation in non-related languages helps illuminate mechanisms of language change and human linguistic cognition.
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