Rethinking linguistic representations: Typological and neurocognitive perspectives on stability and change

The present paper examines the nature of linguistic representations through the lens of the flexibility–stability tradeoff. Drawing on empirical findings from phonetics, phonology, lexico-semantics, morphology, syntax, and socio-indexical variation—primarily in German—it argues that linguistic representations are inherently rich: multi-layered, dynamic constructs that encode both structural and indexical information. These representations adapt to contextual factors such as speaker identity, communicative setting, and task demands, while maintaining sufficient stability to support recognition, generalization, and learning. A central focus is regional and dialectal variation, which reveals aspects of the mental lexicon often obscured in studies using standard-language forms. The paper proposes a pluralistic, context-sensitive framework where different linguistic phenomena may require categorical, gradient, or exemplar-based representations. It highlights the theoretical and empirical advantages of embracing rich representations and advocates for a multi-methodological, interdisciplinary approach that integrates insights from linguistics, neuroscience, psychology, and philosophy. Although grounded in German data, the framework is intended to generalize across languages and invites broader cross-linguistic exploration.