zamení

Zamení is a term used in Czech linguistic and formal contexts to denote the act or process of substituting one element with another within a system. It encompasses replacing sounds, morphemes, words, or symbols while keeping the overall structure or function intact.

Etymology and usage notes: the noun is formed from the verb zaměnit, meaning to replace or swap. In standard Czech, the more common noun for substitution or swap is záměna; zamení appears as a related form in some theoretical or technical discussions. The exact emphasis of zamení can vary by field, but it generally refers to a deliberate replacement rather than an accidental mix-up.

In linguistics, zamení describes substitution processes where one linguistic unit is replaced by another under certain conditions. This can include phoneme substitution in phonology, morpheme substitution in morphology, or lexical substitution in semantics. For example, historical sound changes or allophonic replacements can be viewed as instances of zamení under appropriate analytical frameworks.

In other disciplines, zamení also appears in discussions of substitution ciphers in cryptography, where each letter is consistently replaced by another letter according to a rule, and in mathematics or computer science, where variables or terms are substituted with values or expressions during evaluation or term rewriting.

See also: zaměna, substitution, cipher, variable substitution. While related terms exist, záměna is the more common Czech noun for substitution or misidentification, whereas zamení is used in more specialized or theoretical contexts.