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Hyphenation ofdead-drunkenness

Syllable Division & Pronunciation

Syllable Division:

de-ad-drun-ken-ness

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

/ˈdɛd ˈdrʌŋkənəs/

Stress Pattern:(which syllables are emphasized when speaking)

10100

Primary stress on the first syllable ('de'), secondary stress on 'drun', remaining syllables are unstressed.

Detailed Syllable Breakdown

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

de/diː/

Open syllable, onset-rime structure.

ad/æd/

Closed syllable, onset-rime structure.

drun/drʌn/

Closed syllable, consonant cluster onset.

ken/kən/

Open syllable, onset-rime structure.

ness/nəs/

Open syllable, onset-rime structure.

Morphemic Breakdown

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

dead-(prefix)
+
drunk-(root)
+
-en-(suffix)

Prefix: dead-

Old English, intensifying prefix

Root: drunk-

Old English, past participle of 'drincan' (to drink)

Suffix: -en-

Old English, adjectival suffix

Meanings & Definitions
noun(grammatical role in sentences)

The state of being completely or utterly drunk.

Examples:

"His behavior was attributed to a state of dead-drunkenness."

Similar Words Comparison

Words with similar syllable patterns or pronunciation features

happinesshap-pi-ness

Shares the '-ness' suffix and similar morphological structure.

sadnesssad-ness

Shares the '-ness' suffix, simpler structure.

brightnessbright-ness

Shares the '-ness' suffix and similar morphological structure.

Syllable Division Rules

The linguistic principles used to determine where syllables begin and end

Onset-Rime

Syllables are formed based on the consonant-vowel structure, creating onsets and rimes.

Consonant Cluster Onset

Permissible consonant clusters at the beginning of a syllable (e.g., /dr/).

Special Considerations

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

The compound nature of the word with the 'dead-' prefix.

Potential vowel reduction in 'drunkenness' to a schwa /ə/ in some dialects.

Analysis Summary

Summary:

The word 'dead-drunkenness' is divided into five syllables: de-ad-drun-ken-ness. It consists of a prefix 'dead-', root 'drunk-', and suffixes '-en-' and '-ness'. Primary stress falls on the first syllable ('de'). Syllabification follows standard English onset-rime rules, accommodating consonant clusters.

Detailed Analysis:

Analysis of "dead-drunkenness"

1. Pronunciation: The word is pronounced as /ˈdɛd ˈdrʌŋkənəs/ in US English.

2. Syllable Division: de-ad-drun-ken-ness

3. Morphemic Analysis:

  • Prefix: dead- (Old English, intensifying prefix, meaning "completely" or "thoroughly")
  • Root: drunk- (Old English drunken, past participle of drincan "to drink")
  • Suffix: -en- (Old English, adjectival suffix, forming adjectives from verbs)
  • Suffix: -ness- (Old English -nes, noun-forming suffix, denoting a state or quality)

4. Stress Identification: Primary stress falls on the first syllable of "drunken" (drun-). Secondary stress falls on the first syllable of the word (dead).

5. Phonetic Transcription: /ˈdɛd ˈdrʌŋkənəs/

6. Syllable Breakdown & Rule Application:

  • de-: /diː/ - Open syllable. Rule: Onset-rime structure. The vowel 'e' is followed by a consonant 'd', forming a valid syllable. No exceptions.
  • ad-: /æd/ - Closed syllable. Rule: Onset-rime structure. The vowel 'a' is followed by a consonant 'd', forming a valid syllable. No exceptions.
  • drun-: /ˈdrʌn/ - Closed syllable. Rule: Consonant cluster onset (/dr/) is permissible in English. The vowel 'u' is followed by the consonant 'n', forming a valid syllable. No exceptions.
  • ken-: /kən/ - Open syllable. Rule: Onset-rime structure. The vowel 'e' is followed by the consonant 'n', forming a valid syllable. No exceptions.
  • ness: /nəs/ - Open syllable. Rule: Onset-rime structure. The vowel 'e' is followed by the consonant 's', forming a valid syllable. No exceptions.

7. Edge Case Review: The compound nature of the word (prefix + root + suffix) doesn't present any unusual syllabification challenges. The presence of the consonant cluster /dr/ is standard in English.

8. Grammatical Role: "Dead-drunkenness" functions solely as a noun. Syllabification and stress remain consistent regardless of its grammatical role (as it only has one).

9. Definition & Semantics:

  • Definition: The state of being completely or utterly drunk.
  • Grammatical Category: Noun
  • Synonyms: intoxication, inebriation, drunkenness
  • Antonyms: sobriety, temperance
  • Examples: "His behavior was attributed to a state of dead-drunkenness."

10. Alternative Pronunciations/Regional Variations: While the primary pronunciation is /ˈdɛd ˈdrʌŋkənəs/, some speakers might reduce the vowel in "drunkenness" to a schwa /ə/, resulting in /ˈdɛd ˈdrʌŋkənəs/. This doesn't significantly alter the syllable division.

11. Phonological Comparison:

  • happiness: hap-pi-ness - Similar structure with a suffix. Stress pattern differs (hap-pi-ness).
  • sadness: sad-ness - Simpler structure, but shares the "-ness" suffix. Stress pattern differs (sad-ness).
  • brightness: bright-ness - Similar structure with a root and suffix. Stress pattern differs (bright-ness).

The key difference in "dead-drunkenness" is the compounding with the prefix "dead-", which adds an initial stressed syllable and increases the word's length and complexity. The other words are simpler in structure and have different stress patterns.

Analysis generated by gemma3:27b on 6/22/2025

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