formuans
Formuans are an abstract construct used in theoretical and computational linguistics to model the relationship between surface form and grammatical function. The term combines form and unit, and in many accounts formuans are treated as compact representations that encode both morphological shape and semantic or syntactic role. They are intended to generalize and formalize patterns of inflection, derivation, and template-like constructions within a single framework.
A formuan typically comprises three parts: a form skeleton that specifies the phonological or orthographic shape,
In practice, formuans are proposed as a way to compare morphological systems across languages, model allomorphy,
See also: Morphology, Morphosyntax, Formal language theory, Feature structure, Computational linguistics.