The terms neutralization and syncretism appear very often as synonyms, though some authors use neutralization to denote the socalled syntagmatic neutralization and syncretism to denote paradigmatic neutralization.
The almost usual rack of distinction between the terms mentioned above may have brought about non trivial sequels for the interpretation of the import of suspending an opposition and, most of all, for the attempt of extrapolation, from-within the domain of Phonology, towards the level of the units of meaning.
In this paper an effort is made to cut a clear distinction between neutralization relative to the axis and neutralization relative to the syntagmatic axis, regardless of the utility of naming them syncretism and neutralization, respectively. It will undoubtedly serve to handle more adequately these terms at the different levels of linguistic analysis wherein one works.
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