allomorphier

Allomorphier is a hypothetical concept in linguistics that refers to the phenomenon where a single morpheme can manifest in different phonological or morphological forms, while retaining its original meaning. This is distinct from allophones, which are variations of a phoneme, and allomorphs, which are variations of a morpheme that are conditioned by their environment. Allomorphier, as a concept, implies a more fundamental level of variation at the morpheme itself, suggesting that the abstract unit of meaning can be realized in multiple, often unpredictable ways, without a clear grammatical or phonological rule dictating the choice.

The term is not widely used in mainstream linguistics, but it has been explored in theoretical contexts to account for certain irregularities in language that are not fully explained by existing frameworks. For instance, it might be used to describe cases where a root word appears in drastically different forms across related languages or even within a single language without a clear derivational or inflectional process. Unlike standard allomorphy, where the variations are often predictable (e.g., 'a' vs. 'an' before vowels/consonants), allomorphier would describe variations that seem more arbitrary or stem from deeper historical changes or analogical leveling that are no longer transparent. Linguists who consider this concept often grapple with how to define the boundaries of a morpheme if its surface forms are so varied.