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← Language & CommunicationWhy does semantic bleaching occur more extensively in creole languages compared to established languages?
A)Simplified phonetic inventories block semantic scope
B)Increased literacy rates foster novel metaphors
C)Substrate influence restructures semantic categories✓
D)Superstrate prestige accelerates lexical diffusion
💡 Explanation
Semantic bleaching, the loss of semantic content, is more prevalent in creoles because substrate languages often reshape the semantic categories of the superstrate language during creolization. Therefore, creoles exhibit greater bleaching rather than prestige influence or phonetic limitations. It is substrate influence that shapes the novel language.
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