Hyphenation ofthin-skinnedness

Linguistic Analysis of "thin-skinnedness" (English (GB))

1. Pronunciation:

The word "thin-skinnedness" is pronounced in GB English as /θɪnˈskɪndnəs/. The 'th' is a voiceless dental fricative, and the 'i' is a short vowel. The primary stress falls on the second syllable.

2. Syllable Division:

The syllable division, adhering to the rule of using only original letters, is: thin-skinned-ness

3. Morphemic Analysis:

• Prefix: thin- (Old English þinne - meaning 'small in extent or amount', functioning as an intensifier here, modifying 'skinned')
• Root: skin- (Old English scinn - referring to the outer covering of an animal or person)
• Suffix: -ed (Old English -ed - past participle/adjective forming suffix, indicating a state or quality)
• Suffix: -ness (Old English -nes - noun forming suffix, denoting a state, quality, or condition)

4. Stress Identification:

The primary stress falls on the second syllable: /θɪnˈskɪndnəs/.

5. Phonetic Transcription:

/θɪnˈskɪndnəs/

6. Syllable Breakdown & Rule Application:

• thin: /θɪn/ - Open syllable. Rule: Vowel followed by a consonant. No special cases.
• skinned: /ˈskɪnd/ - Closed syllable. Rule: Vowel followed by a consonant cluster. The 'sk' cluster is permissible as an onset.
• ness: /nəs/ - Closed syllable. Rule: Consonant followed by a vowel and a consonant. No special cases.

7. Edge Case Review:

The compound nature of the word (thin-skinned) could potentially lead to debate about the primary stress, but the established pronunciation places it on 'skinned'. The hyphen in "thin-skinned" doesn't affect syllabification, it merely indicates a compound adjective acting as a single unit.

8. Grammatical Role:

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

9. Definition & Semantics:

• Definition: Sensitivity to criticism or disapproval; easily offended.
• Grammatical Category: Noun
• Synonyms: hypersensitivity, touchiness, oversensitivity, vulnerability
• Antonyms: thick-skinned, resilience, fortitude, toughness
• Examples: "Her thin-skinnedness made it difficult to offer constructive criticism." "He lacked the emotional maturity to cope with the thin-skinnedness of others."

10. Alternative Pronunciations/Regional Variations:

While the given pronunciation is standard for GB English, some regional variations might exhibit slight vowel differences (e.g., a more open 'i' in 'thin'). However, these variations do not significantly alter the syllable division.

11. Phonological Comparison:

• happiness: hap-pi-ness - Similar structure (CVC-CVC-ness). Stress on the second syllable.
• kindness: kind-ness - Simpler structure (CVC-ness). Stress on the first syllable.
• bitterness: bit-ter-ness - Similar structure (CVC-CVC-ness). Stress on the second syllable.

The difference in stress placement between "thin-skinnedness" and "kindness" is due to the compound adjective "thin-skinned" functioning as a unit before the addition of the "-ness" suffix. The compound attracts the stress. "Happiness" and "bitterness" follow a more standard stress pattern for words of that length.