I categorial structure of the word notion of Opposition. Oppositions in Morphology

2. Oppositional Reduction
Oppositional reduction, or oppositional substitution, is the usage of one member of an opposition in the position of the counter-member. From the functional point of view there exist two types of oppositional reduction: neutralization of the categorial opposition and its transposition.
In case of neutralization one member of the opposition becomes fully identified with its counterpart. As the position of neutralization is usually filled in by the weak member of the opposition due to its more general semantics, this kind of oppositional reduction is stylistically colourless, e.g.: "Man is sinful." It is an example of neutralization of the opposition in the category of number because in the sentence the noun "man" used in the singular (the weak member of the opposition) fulfils the function of the plural counterpart (the strong member of the opposition), for it denotes the class of referents as a whole.
Transposition takes place when one member of the opposition placed in the contextual conditions uncommon for it begins to simultaneously fulfil two functions - its own and the function of its counterpart. As a result, transposition is always accompanied by different stylistic effects, e.g.: "Jake had that same desperate look his father had, and he was always getting sore at himself and wanting other people to be happy. Jake was always asking him to smile" (W. Saroyan).
In the cited example the transponized character of the continuous form of the verb is revealed in its fulfilling two functions - one of them is primary, the other is secondary; the primary function of the said verb form is to denote a habitual action, while its secondary function consists in denoting an action presented in the process of development. Due to the transpositional use of the aspect verbal form, the analyzed context becomes stylistically marked.
The study of the oppositional reduction has shown that it is effected by means of a very complex and subtle lingual mechanism which involves the inherent properties of lexemes, lexical and grammatical distribution of the replaced word-form and numerous situational factors, such as the aim of communication, the speaker's wish either to identify or to characterize the denoted object, to reveal some facts or to conceal them, to sound either flat or expressive, the speaker's intention to evaluate the discussed objects, the interlocutors' sharing or non-sharing of the needed information, etc. All these factors turn oppositional reduction into a very powerful means of text stylization.