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← Language & CommunicationWhy does a phonological rule targeting vowels sometimes exhibit opacity despite ordered derivation?
A)Stress assignment blocks rule application
B)Morphological boundaries interrupt rule
C)Phonetic implementation obscures change
D)Counterfeeding creates surface exceptions✓
💡 Explanation
Ordered derivation should prevent opacity. Counterfeeding creates opacity because a later rule destroys the environment for an earlier rule's application, resulting in surface forms that appear to violate the first rule; therefore, the rule seems opaque rather than transparent because it looks like the output doesn't reflect the rule directly.
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