Hyphenation ofretrievabilities

Linguistic Analysis of "retrievabilities" (English (GB))

1. Pronunciation Considerations:

The word "retrievabilities" is pronounced with a relatively standard Received Pronunciation (RP) accent in British English. The 't' is often a flap [ɾ] between vowels, though a plosive [t] is also acceptable. The final 'es' is pronounced as /ɪz/.

2. Syllable Division:

Following English syllable division rules, the word breaks down as follows (using only original letters): re-triev-a-bil-i-ties

3. Morphemic Analysis:

• Prefix: re- (Latin, meaning "again, back") - Prefixes generally attach to the beginning of a root word to modify its meaning.
• Root: trieve (Old French triver, meaning "to seek, find") - The core meaning of the word.
• Suffixes:
  • -able (Latin, meaning "capable of being") - Forms adjectives from verbs.
  • -ities (Latin, pluralizing suffix) - Forms plural nouns.

4. Stress Identification:

The primary stress falls on the third syllable: re-triev-a-bil-i-ties.

5. Phonetic Transcription:

/rɪˈtriːvəbɪlɪtiz/

6. Syllable Breakdown & Rule Application:

• re-: /riː/ - Open syllable. Rule: Syllables end in a vowel sound, they are open. No exceptions.
• triev-: /ˈtriːv/ - Closed syllable. Rule: Syllables ending in a consonant sound are closed. Potential exception: The 'v' could be considered part of a diphthong, but it functions as a consonant in this context.
• a-: /ˈə/ - Open syllable. Rule: Syllables end in a vowel sound, they are open. No exceptions.
• bil-: /ˈbɪl/ - Closed syllable. Rule: Syllables ending in a consonant sound are closed. No exceptions.
• i-: /ˈɪ/ - Open syllable. Rule: Syllables end in a vowel sound, they are open. No exceptions.
• ties: /ˈtɪz/ - Closed syllable. Rule: Syllables ending in a consonant sound are closed. No exceptions.

7. Edge Case Review:

The sequence "-abil-" can sometimes be a point of ambiguity, but in this case, the clear vowel separation dictates the syllable division.

8. Grammatical Role:

"Retrievabilities" functions primarily as a noun. Syllabification and stress remain consistent regardless of grammatical function.

9. Definition & Semantics:

• Definition: The qualities or states of being retrievable; the capacity to be recovered or regained.
• Grammatical Category: Noun (plural)
• Synonyms: recoverability, accessibility, findability
• Antonyms: loss, inaccessibility, unrecoverability
• Examples: "The retrievabilities of the data were crucial for the investigation."

10. Alternative Pronunciations/Regional Variations:

Some speakers might reduce the vowel in the first syllable to /ə/, resulting in /rəˈtriːvəbɪlɪtiz/. This doesn't significantly alter the syllable division. American English pronunciation may differ slightly in vowel quality.

11. Phonological Comparison:

• possibilities: pos-si-bil-i-ties - Similar structure with alternating consonant-vowel patterns. Stress on the second syllable.
• capabilities: ca-pa-bil-i-ties - Similar suffix structure (-abilities/-ities). Stress on the second syllable.
• responsibilities: re-spon-si-bil-i-ties - Similar prefix and suffix structure. Stress on the third syllable, mirroring "retrievabilities". The difference in syllable count is due to the longer root word.