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Hyphenation ofalpha-naphthylthiourea

Syllable Division & Pronunciation

Syllable Division:

al-pha-naph-thyl-thi-o-u-re-a

Phonetic Transcription:(how the word sounds using IPA symbols)

/ˈælfə næftɪlθiːəˈjuːrɪə/

Stress Pattern:(which syllables are emphasized when speaking)

000001001

Primary stress falls on the penultimate syllable ('re' in 'u-re-a').

Detailed Syllable Breakdown

Syllables are the building blocks of words - each one typically contains a vowel sound

al/æl/

Open syllable, onset consonant cluster.

pha/fə/

Open syllable, onset consonant.

naph/næf/

Closed syllable, onset consonant cluster.

thyl/θɪl/

Closed syllable, onset consonant cluster.

thi/θiː/

Open syllable, onset consonant cluster, long vowel.

o/oʊ/

Vowel as a syllable.

u/uː/

Vowel as a syllable.

re/rɪ/

Closed syllable, onset consonant.

a/ə/

Schwa, unstressed syllable.

Morphemic Breakdown

Morphemes are the smallest meaningful parts of words: prefixes (beginning), roots (core meaning), and suffixes (ending)

alpha-(prefix)
+
naphthyl-(root)
+
urea(suffix)

Prefix: alpha-

Greek origin, meaning 'first' or 'initial'.

Root: naphthyl-

Derived from naphthalene, denoting the naphthalene ring structure.

Suffix: urea

Latin origin, denoting the functional group -CO(NH₂)₂.

Meanings & Definitions
noun(grammatical role in sentences)

An organic compound used as a rodenticide.

Examples:

"Alpha-naphthylthiourea is highly toxic to rats."

Synonyms: rodenticide, poison
Similar Words Comparison

Words with similar syllable patterns or pronunciation features

photographypho-to-gra-phy

Similar onset-rime structure and vowel patterns.

biologybi-o-lo-gy

Similar vowel-consonant patterns and syllable structure.

chemistryche-mis-try

Similar onset-rime structure and vowel patterns.

Syllable Division Rules

The linguistic principles used to determine where syllables begin and end

Onset-Rime

Dividing syllables based on the consonant-vowel structure.

Vowel as Syllable

Single vowels can form their own syllables.

Consonant Clusters

Consonant clusters are generally maintained within the onset or coda of a syllable.

Special Considerations

Important exceptions or unusual features in this word's pronunciation or structure

The compound nature of the word and the presence of multiple morphemes create a complex structure.

The 'naphthyl' portion is divided based on pronunciation rather than strict morphemic boundaries.

Analysis Summary

Summary:

Alpha-naphthylthiourea is a complex noun divided into nine syllables (al-pha-naph-thyl-thi-o-u-re-a) with primary stress on the penultimate syllable. Syllabification follows standard English (GB) rules of onset-rime structure and vowel-based division, despite the word's complex morphology.

Detailed Analysis:

Linguistic Analysis of "alpha-naphthylthiourea" (English (GB))

1. Pronunciation Considerations:

The word "alpha-naphthylthiourea" presents challenges due to its complex morphology and the presence of multiple vowel sounds and consonant clusters. The pronunciation in British English (GB) will be the basis of this analysis.

2. Syllable Division:

Following English (GB) syllabification rules, the word is divided as follows (using only the original letters):

3. Morphemic Analysis:

  • Prefix: alpha- (Greek origin, meaning "first" or "initial"). Morphological function: indicates a specific isomer or form.
  • Root: naphthyl- (derived from naphthalene, a hydrocarbon). Morphological function: denotes the naphthalene ring structure.
  • Interfix: -thio- (Greek origin, meaning "sulfur"). Morphological function: connects the naphthyl and urea components, indicating the presence of sulfur.
  • Suffix: -urea (Latin origin, meaning "urine" - historically related to the isolation of urea from urine). Morphological function: denotes the functional group -CO(NH₂)₂.

4. Stress Identification:

The primary stress falls on the penultimate syllable: naph-thyl-thi-o-u-re-a.

5. Phonetic Transcription:

/ˈælfə næftɪlθiːəˈjuːrɪə/

6. Syllable Breakdown & Rule Application:

Syllable IPA Transcription Rule Explanation Potential Exceptions
al /æl/ Onset-Rime structure. 'al' forms a closed syllable. None
pha /fə/ Onset-Rime structure. 'ph' represents /f/. None
naph /næf/ Onset-Rime structure. 'naph' forms a closed syllable. None
thyl /θɪl/ Onset-Rime structure. 'th' represents /θ/. None
thi /θiː/ Onset-Rime structure. 'th' represents /θ/. Long vowel due to following 'o'. None
o /oʊ/ Vowel as a syllable. None
u /uː/ Vowel as a syllable. None
re /rɪ/ Onset-Rime structure. None
a /ə/ Schwa sound, forming a syllable. None

7. Syllable Division Rules Applied:

  • Onset-Rime: The most common rule, dividing syllables based on the consonant-vowel structure.
  • Vowel as Syllable: Single vowels can form their own syllables.
  • Consonant Clusters: Consonant clusters are generally maintained within the onset or coda of a syllable.

8. Exceptions & Special Cases:

The compound nature of the word and the presence of multiple morphemes create a complex structure. The 'naphthyl' portion, while a single morpheme, is divided based on pronunciation rather than strict morphemic boundaries.

9. Grammatical Role:

"alpha-naphthylthiourea" primarily functions as a noun, specifically a chemical compound. Syllabification and stress remain consistent regardless of its grammatical role.

10. Alternative Pronunciations/Regional Variations:

Minor variations in vowel quality (e.g., /æ/ vs. /ɑː/ in 'alpha') might occur depending on regional accents within the UK. These variations would not significantly alter the syllable division.

11. Phonological Comparison:

Word Syllables Reason
photography pho-to-gra-phy Similar onset-rime structure and vowel patterns.
biology bi-o-lo-gy Similar vowel-consonant patterns and syllable structure.
chemistry che-mis-try Similar onset-rime structure and vowel patterns.

The syllable division in these words follows the same principles of onset-rime structure and vowel-based syllabification. The complexity of "alpha-naphthylthiourea" lies in its length and the number of morphemes, not in fundamentally different syllabification rules.

Analysis generated by gemma3:27b on 6/5/2025

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