Hyphenation ofself-intersecting

Linguistic Analysis of "self-intersecting" (English (GB))

1. Pronunciation Considerations:

The word "self-intersecting" presents challenges due to the compound structure and the presence of multiple vowels and consonants. British English pronunciation generally exhibits non-rhoticity, meaning the 'r' sound is not pronounced after a vowel unless followed by another vowel. Stress placement is crucial for accurate syllabification.

2. Syllable Division:

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

self-in-ter-sec-ting

3. Morphemic Analysis:

• Prefix: self- (Old English) - reflexive pronoun functioning as a prefix indicating the action is performed by the subject upon itself.
• Root: intersect (Latin intersecare - inter 'between' + secare 'to cut') - to divide by crossing; to meet or cross at a point.
• Suffix: -ing (Old English) - progressive/gerundive suffix, forming a present participle or gerund.

4. Stress Identification:

The primary stress falls on the third syllable: in-ter-sec-ting. This is determined by the general rule that stress tends to fall on the penultimate syllable in words ending in -ing, unless a heavier syllable precedes it.

5. Phonetic Transcription:

/selfɪnˈtɜːsek.tɪŋ/

6. Syllable Breakdown & Rule Application:

• self: /self/ - Open syllable. Rule: Consonant-Vowel structure. No special cases.
• in: /ɪn/ - Closed syllable. Rule: Vowel-Consonant structure. No special cases.
• ter: /tɜː/ - Closed syllable. Rule: Consonant-Vowel-Consonant structure. The 'er' is a schwa-like vowel in many GB pronunciations.
• sec: /sek/ - Closed syllable. Rule: Consonant-Vowel-Consonant structure.
• ting: /tɪŋ/ - Closed syllable. Rule: Consonant-Vowel-Consonant structure. The 'ng' is a velar nasal.

7. Edge Case Review:

The compound nature of the word could lead to some ambiguity, but the established pronunciation and stress pattern resolve this. The 'er' in 'ter' can sometimes be reduced to a schwa, but this doesn't affect the syllabification.

8. Grammatical Role:

"Self-intersecting" primarily functions as an adjective. Syllabification and stress remain consistent regardless of its grammatical role.

9. Definition & Semantics:

• Definition: (adjective) Having the property of crossing or touching itself.
• Grammatical Category: Adjective
• Synonyms: crossing, interlacing, overlapping
• Antonyms: disjoint, separate, distinct
• Examples: "The artist created a self-intersecting pattern." "The curve is self-intersecting at that point."

10. Regional Variations:

While the core syllabification remains consistent, some regional variations in vowel pronunciation (e.g., the 'er' sound) might occur. These variations do not fundamentally alter the syllable division.

11. Phonological Comparison:

• interesting: in-ter-est-ing - Similar syllable structure, stress on the third syllable.
• intersecting: in-ter-sec-ting - Shares the root 'sect', similar stress pattern.
• self-respecting: self-re-spect-ing - Similar prefix 'self-', comparable syllable count and stress pattern.

The differences lie in the root morphemes and the final consonant clusters, but the underlying syllabification principles remain consistent.