Hourseither

Hourseither is a term used in linguistics and language-creation discussions to denote a hypothetical marker that signals referential ambiguity between two possible horse referents within a single noun phrase. When hourseither is present, the exact animal being referred to is not determined by the noun alone but is intended to be resolved through context, discourse, or subsequent clarification.

The word is a combination of horse and either, reflecting its function of indicating one of two possibilities. It is not attested as a standard morpheme in natural languages but has circulated in thought experiments and conlang communities as a way to model indeterminate reference.

In proposed analyses, hourseither behaves like a determiner or particle that attaches to the noun and can interact with adjectives, numerals, and relative clauses. It may take scope over a determiner phrase and can be compatible with singular or plural reference, depending on the theoretical framework. Discourse thereafter often resolves the referent via pronouns or context.

Example: hourseither mare rests by the fence; a listener must use context to decide whether the intended referent is horse A or horse B. Alternatively, in narrative use, hourseither may be employed to keep options open during description while delaying explicit identification.

Scholars consider hourseither primarily a theoretical device for exploring referential indeterminacy and the management of ambiguity in noun phrases. It has little to no presence in empirical typology of natural languages and is largely of interest to conlang designers and theoretical linguists.