Hyphenation ofgood-temperedness

Linguistic Analysis of "good-temperedness" (English (GB))

1. Pronunciation & Initial Examination:

The word "good-temperedness" is a complex noun denoting a dispositional quality. Its pronunciation in General British English (Received Pronunciation) is relatively straightforward, though the length of vowels and the presence of schwa sounds require careful consideration.

2. Syllable Division:

Following English syllable division rules, the word breaks down as follows (using only original letters):

3. Morphemic Analysis:

• Prefix: None
• Root: temper (Old French temperer, ultimately from Latin temperare – to mix, moderate). Morphological function: base meaning relating to emotional disposition.
• Suffixes:
  • -ed (Anglo-Saxon origin): past participle marker, here functioning as part of the adjectival form.
  • -ness (Old English -nes): Forms a noun from an adjective, denoting a state or quality.

4. Stress Identification:

The primary stress falls on the third syllable: tem.

5. Phonetic Transcription:

/ˌɡʊdˈtempədəndəs/

6. Syllable Breakdown & Rule Application:

Here's a detailed breakdown of each syllable, with IPA transcription, rule application, and potential exceptions:

• good: /ɡʊd/ - Open syllable. Rule: Vowel followed by a consonant, and that consonant is not part of a consonant cluster that can be split. Exception: The 'oo' vowel can be reduced to /ʊ/ in unstressed positions.
• tem: /temp/ - Closed syllable. Rule: Vowel followed by a consonant cluster. The consonant cluster 'mp' is permissible at the end of a syllable.
• per: /pə/ - Open syllable. Rule: Vowel followed by a consonant. Schwa reduction is common here.
• ed: /d/ - Syllabic consonant. Rule: Following a stressed vowel, /d/ can form a syllable on its own. Exception: This is a weak syllable and can be reduced or elided in rapid speech.
• ness: /nəs/ - Open syllable. Rule: Vowel preceded by a consonant. Schwa reduction is common.

7. Edge Case Review:

The sequence "-peredness" is relatively common in English, and the syllabification is generally consistent. The schwa sounds in "per" and "ness" are prone to reduction, but the syllable boundaries remain stable.

8. Grammatical Role:

"Good-temperedness" functions solely as a noun. Syllabification and stress remain consistent regardless of its grammatical context within a sentence.

9. Definition & Semantics:

• Definition: The quality of being habitually in a good mood; a cheerful and agreeable disposition.
• Grammatical Category: Noun
• Synonyms: cheerfulness, equanimity, good humor, pleasantness
• Antonyms: bad temper, irritability, sullenness, moroseness
• Examples: "Her good-temperedness was infectious." "He approached the challenge with remarkable good-temperedness."

10. Phonological Comparison:

• happiness: hap-pi-ness /ˈhæpɪnəs/ - Similar structure with a suffix "-ness". Stress falls on the first syllable.
• kindness: kind-ness /ˈkaɪndnəs/ - Similar structure with a suffix "-ness". Stress falls on the first syllable.
• bitterness: bit-ter-ness /ˈbɪtənəs/ - Similar structure with a suffix "-ness". Stress falls on the first syllable.

The key difference in "good-temperedness" is the compound adjective "good-tempered" forming the base for the noun. This shifts the stress to the "tem" syllable, unlike the other examples where the stress remains on the root.

11. Division Rules:

• Onset-Rime Principle: Syllables are formed around a vowel nucleus, with preceding consonants forming the onset and following consonants forming the rime.
• Sonority Sequencing Principle: Consonant clusters are permissible if they adhere to a sonority hierarchy (increasing sonority from onset to nucleus, decreasing from nucleus to rime).
• Stress Assignment: Stress is often assigned to the first syllable, but can shift based on morphological structure (as seen with the compound adjective).

12. Special Considerations:

The compound adjective "good-tempered" influences the stress pattern. The schwa reduction in unstressed syllables is a common phonetic feature.