Hyphenation ofall-comprehending

Linguistic Analysis of "all-comprehending" (English (GB))

1. Pronunciation: The word is pronounced /ˌɔːl kɒmprɪˈhendɪŋ/ in General British English.

2. Syllable Division: all-com-pre-hend-ing

3. Morphemic Analysis:

• Prefix: all- (Old English, intensifying prefix) - functions as a prefix indicating completeness or totality.
• Root: comprehend (Latin comprehendere – to grasp entirely) - the core meaning of understanding.
• Suffix: -ing (Old English, gerund/present participle suffix) - indicates an ongoing action or a quality.

4. Stress Identification: The primary stress falls on the fourth syllable: /ˌɔːl kɒmprɪˈhendɪŋ/.

5. Phonetic Transcription: /ˌɔːl kɒmprɪˈhendɪŋ/

6. Edge Case Review: The combination of 'hend' can sometimes be a point of variation, but in this case, it's a clear syllable break due to the vowel sound.

7. Grammatical Role: The word functions primarily as an adjective. Syllabification and stress remain consistent regardless of its use in a sentence.

8. Definition & Semantics:

• Definition: Including or covering all elements or aspects of something.
• Grammatical Category: Adjective
• Synonyms: comprehensive, exhaustive, inclusive, complete.
• Antonyms: limited, partial, incomplete.
• Examples: "The report provided an all-comprehending overview of the situation."

9. Phonological Comparison:

• understanding: un-der-stand-ing - Similar structure with a prefix, root, and suffix. Stress falls on the second syllable.
• overwhelming: o-ver-whel-ming - Similar structure with a prefix, root, and suffix. Stress falls on the third syllable.
• misunderstanding: mis-un-der-stand-ing - More complex with a prefix and compound root. Stress falls on the third syllable.

The differences in stress placement are due to the varying weight and phonological properties of the prefixes and roots. "All-" is a lighter syllable than "mis-" or "over-", influencing the stress pattern.

Detailed Syllable Analysis:

Exceptions/Special Cases (Word-Level):

• The hyphenated nature of "all-comprehending" is a stylistic choice and doesn't affect the phonological syllabification.
• The 'pr' cluster in 'comprehend' is a common initial consonant cluster in English and doesn't pose a syllabification challenge.

Division Rules Applied:

1. Vowel-CVC Rule: Syllables generally end in a vowel sound.
2. Consonant Cluster Rule: Consonant clusters are generally maintained within a syllable unless they are easily separable based on phonotactic constraints.

Alternative Pronunciations/Regional Variations:

• Some speakers might reduce the vowel in "all" to a schwa /ɔːl/ becoming /əʊl kɒmprɪˈhendɪŋ/. This doesn't significantly alter the syllable division.
• Regional accents may influence the vowel quality, but the core syllabic structure remains consistent.