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the act of obstructing or deflecting someone's movements
the planning and arrangement of actors' movements and set pieces to achieve the desired visual and emotional impact of the scene in film and theater
a phenomenon where the presence of one linguistic form prevents the occurrence or acceptance of another form with a similar meaning or function
What is "blocking"?
Blocking is a linguistic phenomenon that occurs when a more specific or established word prevents the creation or use of a new word or form. This often happens when speakers are already familiar with an existing term, which makes them less likely to adopt a newly proposed alternative. For example, if the word "telephone" is well-known, a speaker may not feel the need to use a newly coined term like "telephonic" to describe the same concept. Blocking can also occur in morphology, where the existence of a certain inflected form may inhibit the formation of another. This process highlights how language evolves and how familiarity with certain terms influences word usage and development.