Hyphenation ofnon-contradiction

Linguistic Analysis of "non-contradiction" (English (GB))

1. Pronunciation Considerations:

The word "non-contradiction" presents challenges due to the prefix "non-" and the complex consonant clusters within the root. British English pronunciation generally exhibits non-rhoticity, meaning the 'r' sound is not pronounced after a vowel unless followed by another vowel.

2. Syllable Division:

Following English syllable division rules, which prioritize maximizing onsets (consonant clusters at the beginning of a syllable) and respecting vowel sounds, the division will be as follows (using only original letters):

3. Morphemic Analysis:

• Prefix: non- (Latin origin, meaning "not"). Morphological function: negation.
• Root: contradict (Latin origin: contra- "against" + dicere "to say"). Morphological function: verb, expressing opposition.
• Suffix: -ion (Latin origin, from -io). Morphological function: nominalization, turning the verb into a noun.

4. Stress Identification:

The primary stress falls on the third syllable: con-tra-dic-tion. This is typical for words with the '-ion' suffix, where stress usually falls on the syllable immediately preceding the suffix.

5. Phonetic Transcription:

/ˌnɒnˌkɒn.trəˈdɪk.ʃən/

6. Syllable Breakdown & Rule Application:

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

• non /nɒn/ - Open syllable. Rule: Vowel followed by consonant(s). Exception: The 'n' is part of the prefix.
• con /kɒn/ - Open syllable. Rule: Vowel preceded by consonant(s).
• tra /trə/ - Open syllable. Rule: Vowel preceded by consonant cluster. Exception: The 'tr' cluster is a common onset in English.
• dic /dɪk/ - Closed syllable. Rule: Vowel followed by consonant(s) forming a coda.
• tion /ʃən/ - Open syllable. Rule: Vowel preceded by consonant(s). Exception: The 'ti' is pronounced as /ʃ/ due to the following 'ion'.

7. Edge Case Review:

The 'tr' consonant cluster in "tra" is a common onset and doesn't present a significant edge case. The pronunciation of 'tion' as /ʃən/ is a common phonetic realization in English, but doesn't affect the syllable division based on orthography.

8. Grammatical Role:

"Non-contradiction" functions primarily as a noun. Syllabification and stress remain consistent regardless of grammatical context, as it's a single, fixed form.

9. Definition & Semantics:

• Definition: The absence of contradiction; a state of logical consistency.
• Grammatical Category: Noun
• Synonyms: consistency, coherence, harmony, agreement
• Antonyms: contradiction, inconsistency, conflict
• Examples: "His statement showed a complete non-contradiction of previous evidence."

10. Alternative Pronunciations/Regional Variations:

While the provided IPA transcription represents a standard GB pronunciation, slight variations may occur. Some speakers might reduce the vowel in "non" to a schwa /nən/. This wouldn't significantly alter the syllable division.

11. Phonological Comparison:

• communication: com-mu-ni-ca-tion (5 syllables) - Similar structure with a suffix '-tion', stress on the penultimate syllable.
• information: in-for-ma-tion (4 syllables) - Similar suffix '-tion', stress on the antepenultimate syllable.
• contradictory: con-tra-dic-to-ry (5 syllables) - Shares the root "contradict", but with an additional suffix, altering the stress pattern.

The syllable division in "non-contradiction" follows the same principles as these words – maximizing onsets and respecting vowel sounds. The key difference lies in the prefix "non-" and the resulting stress pattern.