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ALLOMORPH
/’aləmɔːf/
 Allomorphs are the variations or
different pronunciations of a
morpheme. For instance, the
morpheme plural-s has the standard /s/
sound in cats, but in dogs the
morpheme becomes a /z/ sound .
 .

There are three allomorphs of the
morpheme -s in English. Compare the
sound of the -s in ‘cats', ‘dogs' and ‘foxes'
 Pronunciation
 Pronunciation:/ s /
 (as in bats),
 Pronunciation:/ z /
 (as in bugs), and
 Pronunciation:/ ɪz /
 (as in buses).
TYPES OF ALLOMORPH

 1.ADDITIVE ALLOMORPHS
 2.REPLACIVE ALLOMORPHS
 3.SUBTRACTIVE ALLOMORPHS
 4.SUPPLETIVE ALLOMORPHS
 5.ZERO ALLOMORPH
 6.NULL ALLOMORPH
1.ADDITIVE ALLOMORPHS

 the suffix –ed which can be pronounced as

either /–t/, or /–d/ or /–Id/:
 ask + –ed / a:sk/ + / –t/,
 liv(e) + ed /lIv/ + / –d/,
 need + –ed /ni:d/ + / –Id/.
2.REPLACIVE ALLOMORPHS

 the / I / in Drink is replaced by the / æ/ in

Drank to signal the simple past.
3.SUBTRACTIVE
ALLOMORPHS
 the letter A is deleted from zopa to signal
that this Russian noun is in the plural
form of the possessive case.
4.SUPPLETIVE ALLOMORPHS

Go + the suppletive allomorph of {–

D1} = went
Be + the suppletive allomorph of {–
S3} = is
Bad + the suppletive allomorph of {–
er1} = worse
good + the suppletive allomorph of {–
est1} =best.
 5.ZERO ALLOMORPH
the past tense form of hurt is formed by
adding the zero allomorph of {–D1} to this
word.
HURT  HURT
 6.NULL ALLOMORPH
 the phrase two fish-Ø which can also be
two fish-es .
 .
 Inthe classroom ,Certain allomorphs
are difficult for learners to produce
correctly, or example the allomorphs
of the -ed regular past morpheme,
which learners often do not produce
correctly until higher levels.
Recognition activities such as sorting
words into groups according to
pronunciation are useful to raise
awareness.