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Glite Dictionary
morphophoneme

morphophoneme

9.9
A part of a word that has the same meaning but different sounds in different words
  • noun
  • /ˌmɔrfoʊˈfoʊniːm/
  • Specialized
: morfófono
  • In English, the plural morphophoneme can be realized as /s/, /z/, or /ɪz/ depending on the word.

Examples

  • The concept of a morphophoneme helps linguists explain variations in word forms.

  • A morphophoneme can have multiple phonetic realizations.

  • Analyzing the data, she identified a unique morphophoneme underlying the different prefixes.

  • The morphophoneme changes based on the surrounding sounds.

  • In English, the plural morphophoneme can be realized as /s/, /z/, or /ɪz/ depending on the word.

  • The concept of a morphophoneme helps linguists explain variations in word forms.

  • A morphophoneme can have multiple phonetic realizations.

Surface Forms

morphophoneme singular
morphophonemes plural

Morphology

morphophoneme = morpho + phoneme (semi-transparent) = morpho + phoneme

While the components 'morpho' and 'phoneme' are clear, the specific linguistic concept is specialized and not immediately obvious.

Etymology

Morphophoneme joins morpho- meaning 'form' or 'shape', as in metamorphosis, and phoneme meaning 'sound', as in phonics. So, a morphophoneme is a single unit that shows the same 'form' or meaning but appears as different 'sounds' in different places, which helps explain why words change their sound.