Hyphenation oftongue-murdering

Linguistic Analysis of "tongue-murdering" (English (GB))

1. Pronunciation Considerations:

The word "tongue-murdering" presents challenges due to the compound structure and the presence of multiple morphemes. The pronunciation in GB English will be considered, which generally exhibits non-rhoticity (i.e., /r/ is not pronounced after vowels unless followed by a 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: tong-gue-mur-der-ing.

3. Morphemic Analysis:

• Prefix: None
• Root: tongue (Old English tunge, Germanic origin) - Noun, referring to the muscular organ in the mouth.
• Root: murder (Old Norse morð, Germanic origin) - Verb, meaning to intentionally kill.
• Suffix: -ing (Old English -ing, Germanic origin) - Gerund/Present Participle marker, indicating ongoing action.

4. Stress Identification:

The primary stress falls on the third syllable: mur- (tong-gue-mur-der-ing). This is due to the prominence of the root 'murder' within the compound.

5. Phonetic Transcription:

/tʌŋ.ɡjʊə.ˈmɜː.də.rɪŋ/

6. Syllable Breakdown & Rule Application:

• tong: /tʌŋ/ - Open syllable. Rule: Vowel followed by a consonant cluster. Potential exception: The /ŋ/ sound can sometimes lead to syllabification issues, but here it clearly belongs with the vowel.
• gue: /ɡjʊə/ - Closed syllable. Rule: Vowel preceded and followed by consonants. The 'g' is a glide, forming a diphthong.
• mur: /ˈmɜː/ - Stressed, closed syllable. Rule: Vowel preceded and followed by consonants. Stress assignment based on root prominence.
• der: /ˈdə/ - Unstressed, closed syllable. Rule: Vowel preceded and followed by consonants. Reduced vowel quality due to lack of stress.
• ing: /ˈrɪŋ/ - Closed syllable. Rule: Vowel preceded and followed by consonants. The /r/ is pronounced due to being followed by a vowel.

7. Edge Case Review:

The compound nature of the word is the primary edge case. Compound words can sometimes exhibit stress patterns different from simple words. However, the prominence of 'murder' as a core semantic component dictates the stress placement.

8. Grammatical Role:

"Tongue-murdering" functions primarily as an adjective, describing something that causes great offense or is extremely critical. Syllabification and stress remain consistent regardless of its adjectival function.

9. Definition & Semantics:

• Definition: Extremely critical or offensive; devastatingly harsh.
• Grammatical Category: Adjective
• Synonyms: scathing, vitriolic, devastating, brutal
• Antonyms: complimentary, kind, gentle, supportive
• Examples: "The critic's tongue-murdering review destroyed the playwright's confidence."

10. Phonological Comparison:

• understanding: un-der-stand-ing - Similar syllable structure with alternating consonant-vowel patterns. Stress on the second syllable.
• something: some-thing - Simpler structure, but shares the '-ing' suffix. Stress on the first syllable.
• everything: ev-er-y-thing - More complex, but demonstrates the principle of maximizing onsets. Stress on the second syllable.

The differences in stress placement are due to the semantic weight of the root morphemes. In "tongue-murdering," 'murder' carries more weight than 'tongue' or the '-ing' suffix.

11. Division Rules:

• Onset Maximization: Prioritizing consonant clusters at the beginning of syllables.
• Vowel Nucleus: Each syllable must contain a vowel sound.
• Stress Assignment: Primary stress falls on the most prominent root morpheme.
• Compound Word Syllabification: Treating compound words as a sequence of syllables based on individual morphemes.

12. Special Considerations:

The pronunciation of the /ŋ/ sound in "tongue" can be variable, but it is generally considered part of the first syllable. The non-rhoticity of GB English influences the pronunciation of the /r/ in "murdering."

13. Short Analysis:

"Tongue-murdering" is a compound adjective syllabified as tong-gue-mur-der-ing, with primary stress on "mur". It's formed from the roots "tongue" and "murder" with the gerund suffix "-ing". The syllable division follows rules of onset maximization and vowel nucleus requirements, with stress dictated by the semantic prominence of the root "murder".