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Hyphenation ofultracosmopolitan

Syllable Division & Pronunciation

Syllable Division:

ul-tra-cos-mo-pol-i-tan

Phonetic Transcription:(how the word sounds using IPA symbols)

/ˌʌltrəˌkɒzməˈpɒlɪtən/

Stress Pattern:(which syllables are emphasized when speaking)

0000101

Primary stress falls on the penultimate syllable ('pol' in 'pol-i-tan').

Detailed Syllable Breakdown

Syllables are the building blocks of words - each one typically contains a vowel sound

ul/ʌl/

Open syllable, onset cluster /ʌl/

tra/trə/

Open syllable, onset cluster /tr/

cos/kɒs/

Closed syllable, onset /k/, coda /s/

mo/məʊ/

Open syllable

pol/pɒl/

Open syllable

i/ɪ/

Open syllable

tan/tən/

Closed syllable, coda /n/

Morphemic Breakdown

Morphemes are the smallest meaningful parts of words: prefixes (beginning), roots (core meaning), and suffixes (ending)

ultra(prefix)
+
cosmo(root)
+
politan(suffix)

Prefix: ultra

Latin origin, meaning 'beyond' or 'extremely', intensifier

Root: cosmo

Greek origin (kosmos - world/universe), core meaning

Suffix: politan

Latin origin (politanus - city dweller), denotes inhabitants or characteristics

Meanings & Definitions
adjective(grammatical role in sentences)

Characterized by or relating to people or things from all over the world; sophisticated and worldly.

Examples:

"The hotel attracted an ultracosmopolitan clientele."

"She had an ultracosmopolitan outlook on life."

Similar Words Comparison

Words with similar syllable patterns or pronunciation features

cosmopolitancos-mo-pol-i-tan

Shared root and suffix, consistent syllabification.

metropolitanme-tro-pol-i-tan

Similar suffix structure, demonstrating consistent application of rules.

internationalin-ter-na-tion-al

Similar vowel-based syllabification principles despite length.

Syllable Division Rules

The linguistic principles used to determine where syllables begin and end

Vowel-Coda Rule

Syllables generally end in vowels. Consonants following vowels are assigned to the next syllable unless they form a permissible cluster.

Consonant Cluster Rule

Permissible consonant clusters are maintained within a syllable.

Onset Rule

Syllables begin with an onset (one or more consonants).

Special Considerations

Important exceptions or unusual features in this word's pronunciation or structure

The word's length and complex morphology require careful application of syllable division rules.

The presence of multiple consonant clusters doesn't disrupt the vowel-based syllabification.

Potential vowel reduction in 'ultra' in some accents.

Analysis Summary

Summary:

The word 'ultracosmopolitan' is divided into seven syllables: ul-tra-cos-mo-pol-i-tan. It's composed of the prefix 'ultra-', root 'cosmo-', and suffix '-politan'. Primary stress falls on the penultimate syllable. Syllabification follows vowel-coda and consonant cluster rules, consistent with General British English phonology.

Detailed Analysis:

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

1. Pronunciation: The word is pronounced /ˌʌltrəˌkɒzməˈpɒlɪtən/ in General British English.

2. Syllable Division: ul-tra-cos-mo-pol-i-tan

3. Morphemic Analysis:

  • Prefix: ultra- (Latin) - meaning "beyond" or "extremely". Function: Intensifier.
  • Root: cosmo- (Greek kosmos meaning "world" or "universe") - relating to the world or universe. Function: Core meaning.
  • Suffix: -politan (Latin politanus from polis meaning "city") - relating to a city or citizens. Function: Denotes inhabitants or characteristics of a city/world.

4. Stress Identification: The primary stress falls on the penultimate syllable: /ˌʌltrəˌkɒzməˈpɒlɪtən/.

5. Phonetic Transcription: /ˌʌltrəˌkɒzməˈpɒlɪtən/

6. Edge Case Review: The sequence /trə/ is common and doesn't present a syllabification issue. The /pɒlɪtən/ sequence is also standard.

7. Grammatical Role: "ultracosmopolitan" functions primarily as an adjective. Syllabification and stress remain consistent regardless of its use in a sentence.

8. Definition & Semantics:

  • Definition: Characterized by or relating to people or things from all over the world; sophisticated and worldly.
  • Grammatical Category: Adjective
  • Synonyms: cosmopolitan, worldly, international, global
  • Antonyms: parochial, provincial, narrow-minded
  • Examples: "The hotel attracted an ultracosmopolitan clientele." "She had an ultracosmopolitan outlook on life."

9. Phonological Comparison:

  • Cosmopolitan: cos-mo-pol-i-tan - Syllable division is identical, demonstrating consistent application of rules.
  • Metropolitan: me-tro-pol-i-tan - Similar structure with a different prefix. Syllabification follows the same pattern.
  • International: in-ter-na-tion-al - While longer, the syllable division principles (vowel-based) are consistent.

Detailed Syllable Analysis:

Syllable IPA Transcription Description Rule Applied Exceptions/Special Cases
ul /ʌl/ Open syllable, onset cluster /ʌl/ Vowel-Coda rule: Syllables end in vowels unless blocked by a consonant cluster.
tra /trə/ Open syllable, onset cluster /tr/ Consonant Cluster Rule: Consonant clusters are maintained within a syllable.
cos /kɒs/ Closed syllable, onset /k/, coda /s/ Vowel-Coda rule: Syllables end in vowels unless blocked by a consonant cluster.
mo /məʊ/ Open syllable Vowel-Coda rule: Syllables end in vowels unless blocked by a consonant cluster.
pol /pɒl/ Open syllable Vowel-Coda rule: Syllables end in vowels unless blocked by a consonant cluster.
i /ɪ/ Open syllable Vowel-Coda rule: Syllables end in vowels unless blocked by a consonant cluster.
tan /tən/ Closed syllable, coda /n/ Vowel-Coda rule: Syllables end in vowels unless blocked by a consonant cluster.

Exceptions/Special Cases (Word-Level):

  • The word's length and complex morphology require careful application of syllable division rules.
  • The presence of multiple consonant clusters doesn't disrupt the vowel-based syllabification.

Division Rules Applied:

  • Vowel-Coda Rule: Syllables generally end in vowels. Consonants following vowels are assigned to the next syllable unless they form a permissible cluster.
  • Consonant Cluster Rule: Permissible consonant clusters are maintained within a syllable.
  • Onset Rule: Syllables begin with an onset (one or more consonants).

Alternative Pronunciations/Regional Variations:

  • Some speakers might reduce the vowel in "ultra" to a schwa /ə/, affecting the syllable weight but not the syllabification.
  • Regional accents may influence vowel quality, but the core syllable structure remains consistent.
Analysis generated by gemma3:27b on 6/9/2025

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