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Hyphenation ofbeggar-my-neighbour

Syllable Division & Pronunciation

Syllable Division:

beg-gar-my-neigh-bour

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

/ˈbɛɡər maɪ ˈneɪbər/

Stress Pattern:(which syllables are emphasized when speaking)

1000010

Primary stress on the first syllable of 'beggar' and the first syllable of 'neighbour'.

Detailed Syllable Breakdown

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

beg/bɛɡ/

Closed syllable, CVC structure, soft 'g' sound.

gar/ɡər/

Closed syllable, CVC structure, r-colored vowel.

my/maɪ/

Open syllable, VC structure, diphthong.

neigh/neɪ/

Open syllable, VC structure, diphthong.

bour/bər/

Closed syllable, CVC structure, r-colored vowel.

Morphemic Breakdown

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

(prefix)
+
beggar, neighbour(root)
+
(suffix)

Prefix:

Root: beggar, neighbour

Old English and Old French origins respectively.

Suffix:

Meanings & Definitions
noun phrase(grammatical role in sentences)

A card game in which players try to get rid of their cards by matching the rank of the previous card played, or by playing a beggar-my-neighbour card.

Examples:

"Let's play a round of beggar-my-neighbour."

"He always wins at beggar-my-neighbour."

Similar Words Comparison

Words with similar syllable patterns or pronunciation features

waterwa-ter

Similar CVC-VC syllable structure and stress pattern.

butterbut-ter

Similar CVC-VC syllable structure and stress pattern.

mothermoth-er

Similar CVC-VC syllable structure and stress pattern.

Syllable Division Rules

The linguistic principles used to determine where syllables begin and end

CVC Syllable Division

Syllables are divided before or after consonants in CVC patterns.

Open Syllable Division

Syllables are divided after vowels in open syllable patterns (VC).

Diphthong Syllable Division

Diphthongs are generally kept within a single syllable.

Special Considerations

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

The spelling 'neighbour' is a British English variant, but doesn't affect US English syllabification.

The silent 'gh' in 'neighbour' is an orthographic exception.

Analysis Summary

Summary:

The word 'beggar-my-neighbour' is divided into five syllables: beg-gar-my-neigh-bour. It consists of root words 'beggar' and 'neighbour' with a possessive determiner 'my'. Stress falls on the first syllable of each root word. Syllabification follows CVC and VC rules, with consideration for the r-colored vowel and silent letters.

Detailed Analysis:

Linguistic Analysis of "beggar-my-neighbour" (English - US)

1. Pronunciation: The word is pronounced as /ˈbɛɡər maɪ ˈneɪbər/.

2. Syllable Division: The syllable division, adhering to the rule of using only original letters, is: beg-gar-my-neigh-bour.

3. Morphemic Analysis:

  • beggar: Root. Old English begga meaning "one who asks for charity." Morphological function: Noun.
  • my: Determiner. Old English mīn. Morphological function: Possessive pronoun.
  • neighbour: Root. From Old French neiure, ultimately from Latin vicinus. Morphological function: Noun.

The compound nature of the word complicates a traditional morphemic breakdown beyond identifying the core lexical items. It functions as a single unit.

4. Stress Identification: The primary stress falls on the first syllable of "beggar" and the first syllable of "neighbour". This results in a stress pattern of 1-0-0-0-0 1-0.

5. Phonetic Transcription: /ˈbɛɡər maɪ ˈneɪbər/

6. Syllable Breakdown & Rule Application:

  • beg: /bɛɡ/ - Closed syllable. Rule: Consonant-Vowel-Consonant (CVC) structure. Exception: The 'g' is a soft 'g' as in 'get'.
  • gar: /ɡər/ - Closed syllable. Rule: CVC structure. The 'ar' represents the r-colored vowel /ər/.
  • my: /maɪ/ - Open syllable. Rule: Vowel-Consonant (VC) structure, followed by a diphthong.
  • neigh: /neɪ/ - Open syllable. Rule: Vowel-Consonant (VC) structure, followed by a diphthong.
  • bour: /bər/ - Closed syllable. Rule: CVC structure. The 'our' represents the r-colored vowel /ər/.

7. Edge Case Review: The spelling "neighbour" is a historical variant of "neighbor" and represents a British English spelling. This doesn't affect the syllabification in US English. The 'gh' is silent, which is a common exception in English orthography.

8. Grammatical Role: The word functions as a noun phrase, specifically the name of a card game. Syllabification and stress remain consistent regardless of its function.

9. Definition & Semantics:

  • Definition: A card game in which players try to get rid of their cards by matching the rank of the previous card played, or by playing a beggar-my-neighbour card.
  • Grammatical Category: Noun Phrase
  • Synonyms: None readily available, as it's a specific game name.
  • Antonyms: N/A
  • Examples: "Let's play a round of beggar-my-neighbour." "He always wins at beggar-my-neighbour."

10. Alternative Pronunciations/Regional Variations: The pronunciation of "neighbour" can vary slightly, with some speakers pronouncing the 'r' at the end. This doesn't significantly alter the syllabification.

11. Phonological Comparison:

  • water: wa-ter. Similar CVC-VC structure. Stress on the first syllable.
  • butter: but-ter. Similar CVC-VC structure. Stress on the first syllable.
  • mother: moth-er. Similar CVC-VC structure. Stress on the first syllable.

The consistency in stress placement on the first syllable in these words demonstrates a common pattern in English for words with this syllable structure. The 'r' colored vowel in "beggar" and "neighbour" is also a common feature.

Analysis generated by gemma3:27b on 6/6/2025

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