Hyphenation ofalkylbenzenesulfonate

Linguistic Analysis of "alkylbenzenesulfonate"

1. Examination & Pronunciation:

The word "alkylbenzenesulfonate" is a complex chemical term. Its pronunciation in US English is approximately /ˌæl.kɪlˌbɛn.ziːnˈsʌl.foʊ.neɪt/. It's a multi-syllabic word with a relatively consistent stress pattern typical of chemical nomenclature.

2. Syllable Division:

Following US English syllabification rules, the word divides as follows (see "syllable_division" in the JSON output).

3. Morphemic Analysis:

• alkyl-: Prefix, derived from Arabic al-kuhl (meaning "the alcohol"). Function: Indicates the presence of an alkyl group.
• benzene-: Root, derived from German Benzin (originally from benzoic acid, from Arabic ban "bean"). Function: Indicates the presence of a benzene ring.
• sulfo-: Combining form, derived from Latin sulfur (meaning sulfur). Function: Indicates the presence of a sulfonate group.
• -nate: Suffix, derived from Latin -atus. Function: Forms a noun indicating a salt or ester.

4. Stress Identification:

The primary stress falls on the penultimate syllable: /ˌæl.kɪlˌbɛn.ziːnˈsʌl.foʊ.neɪt/. Specifically, on the "nate" syllable.

5. Phonetic Transcription:

/ˌæl.kɪlˌbɛn.ziːnˈsʌl.foʊ.neɪt/

6. Edge Case Review:

The sequence "-benzenesulfonate" is a common chemical suffix, and its syllabification is relatively standard. The "alkyl" prefix is also consistently syllabified. No major exceptions are anticipated.

7. Grammatical Role:

"Alkylbenzenesulfonate" primarily functions as a noun, referring to a class of chemical compounds. As a noun, the stress pattern remains consistent. It doesn't readily shift to other parts of speech.

8. Definition & Semantics:

• Definition: A salt or ester of alkylbenzenesulfonic acid, used as a surfactant (detergent).
• Grammatical Category: Noun
• Synonyms: Detergent, surface-active agent
• Antonyms: (None directly applicable - it's a specific chemical compound)
• Examples:
  • "Sodium alkylbenzenesulfonate is a common ingredient in laundry detergents."
  • "The wastewater contained high levels of alkylbenzenesulfonate."

9. Phonological Comparison:

• phenylethylamine: phen-yl-eth-yl-a-mine (5 syllables). Similar in complexity, but the stress pattern differs.
• dichlorobenzene: di-chlor-o-ben-zene (5 syllables). Shares the "benzene" root, but has a different prefix structure.
• methylcellulose: meth-yl-cel-lu-lose (5 syllables). Similar in length and complexity, but with a different root and suffix.

The differences in syllable division arise from the varying prefixes and suffixes attached to the core root, and the resulting vowel and consonant clusters.

Syllable Breakdown Details:

• al-kyl: Rule: Vowel-consonant-consonant-vowel pattern. Syllable division occurs before the vowel. Potential exception: Some speakers might pronounce it as a single syllable, but this is less common in formal pronunciation.
• ben-zene: Rule: Vowel-consonant pattern. Syllable division occurs before the vowel.
• sul-fo-nate: Rule: Vowel-consonant-vowel-consonant-vowel pattern. Syllable division occurs before each vowel.
• Exceptions/Special Cases: The "sulfo-" portion is a combining form and is consistently treated as a separate syllable. The final "-nate" is a common suffix and is also consistently syllabified.