Coercion (linguistics)

In linguistics, coercion refers to a phenomenon where a word or phrase's meaning changes to fit the grammatical or semantic requirements of a particular context. This often occurs when the literal interpretation of a term does not directly align with its expected usage in a sentence, leading to an inferred or altered meaning to make the sentence coherent. Coercion can manifest in several ways, such as: 1. **Type Coercion**: When an expression needs to be understood in a different grammatical category.