Underlying representation

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In some models of phonology as well as morphophonology in the field

of linguistics, the underlying representation (UR) or underlying form (UF) of
a word or morpheme is the abstract form that a word or morpheme is postulated
to have before any phonological rules have applied to it.[1][2] By contrast, a surface
representation is the phonetic representation of the word or sound. The concept
of an underlying representation is central to generative grammar.[3]
If more phonological rules apply to the same underlying form, they can apply
wholly independently of each other or in a feeding or counterbleeding order. The
underlying representation of a morpheme is considered to be invariable across
related forms (except in cases of suppletion), despite alternations among
various allophones on the surface.

Examples[edit]
In many cases, the underlying form is simply the phonemic form. For example, in
many varieties of American English, the phoneme /t/ in a word like wet can
surface either as an unreleased stop [t̚] or as a flap [ɾ], depending on
environment: [wɛt] wet vs. [ˈwɛɾɚ] wetter. (In both cases, however, the underlying
representation of the morpheme wet is the same: its phonemic form /wɛt/.)
Phonological rules may change the phonemes involved. In such cases, pipes ("|")
or double slashes may be used in transcription to distinguish the underlying form
from its phonemic realization. For example, the word "cats" has the phonemic
representation /kæts/. If it is assumed that the underlying form of the English
plural suffix is a [z] sound, the underlying form of "cats" would be //kætz//.
(The [z] surfaces as an [s] because of the phonological process of devoicing after
an unvoiced consonant.)
Sandhi, such as tone sandhi in Chinese, is another phonological process that
changes the phonemes of a morpheme from its underlying form.