 ##  [Lexical Diffusion](/lexical-diffusion) 

  ##  [Lexical Diffusion](https://humanitites.quantumdictionary.io/lexical-diffusion-0) 

  
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**Humanities &amp; Arts Dictionary**

 
Definition

A model of phonological change in which a sound innovation spreads gradually through individual lexical items across the vocabulary rather than applying synchronously to all tokens of an affected phoneme; diffusion typically produces a mosaic of innovated and conservative forms conditioned by lexical, phonological and social factors.