In some models of phonology as well as morphophonology in the field of linguistics, the underlying representation (UR) or underlying form (UF) of a word or morpheme is the abstract form that a word or morpheme is postulated to have before any phonological rules have been applied to it. In contrast, a surface representation is the phonetic representation of the word or sound. The concept of an underlying representation is central to generative grammar.
If more phonological rules apply to the same underlying form, they can apply wholly independently of each other or in a feeding or counterbleeding order. The underlying representation of a morpheme is considered to be invariable across related forms (except in cases of suppletion), despite alternations among various allophones on the surface.
Examples
In many cases, the underlying form is simply the phonemic form. For example, in many varieties of American English, the phoneme /t/ in a word like wet can surface either as an unreleased stop [t̚] or as a flap [ɾ], depending on environment: [wɛt] wet vs. [ˈwɛɾɚ] wetter. (In both cases, however, the underlying representation of the morpheme wet is the same: its phonemic form /wɛt/.)
Phonological rules may change the phonemes involved. In such cases, pipes ("|") or double slashes may be used in transcription to distinguish the underlying form from its phonemic realization. For example, the word "cats" has the phonemic representation /kæts/. If it is assumed that the underlying form of the English plural suffix is a [z] sound, the underlying form of "cats" would be //kætz//. (The [z] surfaces as an [s] because of the phonological process of devoicing after an unvoiced consonant.)
Sandhi, such as tone sandhi in Chinese, is another phonological process that changes the phonemes of a morpheme from its underlying form.
See also
- Zero phone
- Deep structure and surface structure
- Phonotactics
References
- Bromberger, Sylvain; Morris Halle (2006). "Phonology". In Donald M. Borchert (ed.). Encyclopedia of Philosophy (2nd ed.). Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA. pp. 551–553.
- O'Grady, William; John Archibald (2005). Contemporary Linguistics. Boston: Bedord/St. Martin's. p. 92.
- Crystal, David (2009). "underlying (adj.)". Dictionary of Linguistics and Phonetics. Hoboken: Wiley. p. 501.
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This article contains phonetic transcriptions in the International Phonetic Alphabet IPA For an introductory guide on IPA symbols see Help IPA For the distinction between and see IPA Brackets and transcription delimiters In some models of phonology as well as morphophonology in the field of linguistics the underlying representation UR or underlying form UF of a word or morpheme is the abstract form that a word or morpheme is postulated to have before any phonological rules have been applied to it In contrast a surface representation is the phonetic representation of the word or sound The concept of an underlying representation is central to generative grammar If more phonological rules apply to the same underlying form they can apply wholly independently of each other or in a feeding or counterbleeding order The underlying representation of a morpheme is considered to be invariable across related forms except in cases of suppletion despite alternations among various allophones on the surface ExamplesIn many cases the underlying form is simply the phonemic form For example in many varieties of American English the phoneme t in a word like wet can surface either as an unreleased stop t or as a flap ɾ depending on environment wɛt wet vs ˈwɛɾɚ wetter In both cases however the underlying representation of the morpheme wet is the same its phonemic form wɛt Phonological rules may change the phonemes involved In such cases pipes or double slashes may be used in transcription to distinguish the underlying form from its phonemic realization For example the word cats has the phonemic representation kaets If it is assumed that the underlying form of the English plural suffix is a z sound the underlying form of cats would be kaetz The z surfaces as an s because of the phonological process of devoicing after an unvoiced consonant Sandhi such as tone sandhi in Chinese is another phonological process that changes the phonemes of a morpheme from its underlying form See alsoZero phone Deep structure and surface structure PhonotacticsReferencesBromberger Sylvain Morris Halle 2006 Phonology In Donald M Borchert ed Encyclopedia of Philosophy 2nd ed Detroit Macmillan Reference USA pp 551 553 O Grady William John Archibald 2005 Contemporary Linguistics Boston Bedord St Martin s p 92 Crystal David 2009 underlying adj Dictionary of Linguistics and Phonetics Hoboken Wiley p 501 This phonology article is a stub You can help Wikipedia by expanding it vte
