Hyphenation ofcrooked-shouldered

Linguistic Analysis of "crooked-shouldered"

1. Pronunciation Examination:

The word "crooked-shouldered" is a compound adjective in US English. It consists of two parts joined by a hyphen. The pronunciation involves a mix of vowel qualities and consonant clusters.

2. Syllable Division:

Following English syllabification rules, the word divides as follows (using only original letters):

croo-ked-shoul-dered

3. Morphemic Analysis:

• Prefix: None
• Root 1: crooked (Old English crōcod, meaning "bent, twisted"). Morphological function: Adjective.
• Root 2: shoulder (Old English sculdor). Morphological function: Noun.
• Suffix: -ed (Old English -ed). Morphological function: Forms the past participle, here functioning adjectivally, modifying 'shoulder'.

4. Stress Identification:

The primary stress falls on the first syllable of the first root word, "croo-ked". The second root word, "shoul-dered" receives secondary stress on the first syllable, "shoul".

5. Phonetic Transcription:

/ˈkrʊkɪd ˈʃoʊldərd/

6. Edge Case Review:

The hyphenated nature of the word requires careful consideration. Each root word is syllabified independently before the combination is considered. The "-ed" suffix is a common source of variation, but in this case, it clearly attaches to "shoulder" and forms a single syllable.

7. Grammatical Role:

The word functions solely as an adjective. There is no shift in syllabification or stress if it were to function as another part of speech, as it is a fixed compound adjective.

8. Definition & Semantics:

• Definition: Having shoulders that are uneven or asymmetrical; bent or curved shoulders.
• Grammatical Category: Adjective
• Synonyms: stooped, hunched, sloping
• Antonyms: straight, level, erect
• Examples: "The old man had a crooked-shouldered gait." "She noticed his crooked-shouldered posture."

9. Phonological Comparison:

• "bookended": book-en-ded. Similar vowel sounds and consonant clusters. Stress pattern is also similar (primary on the first syllable).
• "well-rounded": well-roun-ded. Similar compound adjective structure. Stress pattern is similar.
• "long-sleeved": long-slee-ved. Similar compound adjective structure. Stress pattern is similar.

The differences in syllable division arise from the specific vowel and consonant sequences within each word. "Crooked" has a more complex vowel sound and consonant cluster than "long" or "well", influencing its syllabification.

10. Syllable Analysis Breakdown:

• croo: /kruː/ - Open syllable, vowel sound is long. Rule: Vowel followed by consonant(s).
• ked: /kɪd/ - Closed syllable, vowel sound is short. Rule: Vowel followed by consonant(s) at the end of the syllable.
• shoul: /ʃoʊl/ - Open syllable, diphthong. Rule: Vowel followed by consonant(s).
• dered: /dərd/ - Closed syllable, vowel sound is reduced. Rule: Vowel followed by consonant(s) at the end of the syllable.

11. Exceptions and Special Cases:

The hyphenated structure is the primary special case. Without the hyphen, the word would be difficult to parse. The "-ed" suffix is generally pronounced /t/ or /d/ depending on the preceding sound, but here it forms a distinct syllable.

12. Alternative Pronunciations/Regional Variations:

Regional variations in vowel pronunciation (e.g., the /ʊ/ in "crooked") might exist, but they wouldn't significantly alter the syllabification.