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Hyphenation ofdeoxyribonuclease

Syllable Division & Pronunciation

Syllable Division:

de-ox-y-ri-bo-nu-cle-ase

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

/ˌdiːɒksɪraɪboʊnjuːˈkliːeɪz/

Stress Pattern:(which syllables are emphasized when speaking)

00000010

Primary stress falls on the penultimate syllable ('cle').

Detailed Syllable Breakdown

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

de/diː/

Open syllable, initial syllable

ox/ɒks/

Closed syllable

y/aɪ/

Open syllable, diphthong

ri/riː/

Open syllable

bo/boʊ/

Open syllable, diphthong

nu/nuː/

Open syllable

cle/kliː/

Closed syllable

ase/eɪz/

Closed syllable

Morphemic Breakdown

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

de-(prefix)
+
oxyribonucle(root)
+
-ase(suffix)

Prefix: de-

Latin origin, meaning 'removal, separation from'

Root: oxyribonucle

Combination of Greek 'oxy' (acid), 'ribo' (ribose), and 'nucle' (nucleus)

Suffix: -ase

Greek origin, denoting an enzyme

Meanings & Definitions
noun(grammatical role in sentences)

An enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis of DNA.

Examples:

"The researchers used deoxyribonuclease to break down the DNA sample."

Similar Words Comparison

Words with similar syllable patterns or pronunciation features

Polymerasepo-ly-mer-ase

Shares the '-ase' suffix and a similar multi-syllabic structure.

Ribonucleaseri-bo-nu-cle-ase

Shares the 'ribo-' and '-ase' morphemes, and a similar syllabic structure.

Glycolysisgly-co-ly-sis

Shares the '-ase' suffix, but has a different root structure.

Syllable Division Rules

The linguistic principles used to determine where syllables begin and end

Onset-Rime

Dividing syllables based on the consonant onset and vowel-rich rime.

Vowel-Consonant

When a syllable contains a single vowel followed by a consonant, the syllable is divided before the consonant.

Consonant Cluster

Handling consonant clusters (like 'x') as single units within a syllable.

Diphthong Rule

Diphthongs (like 'ai' and 'ou') are treated as a single vowel sound within a syllable.

Special Considerations

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

The length and complexity of the word make it prone to mis-syllabification.

The presence of multiple vowels and consonant clusters requires careful application of the rules.

Analysis Summary

Summary:

Deoxyribonuclease is an eight-syllable noun with primary stress on the penultimate syllable. It's formed from Latin and Greek morphemes denoting the removal of a ribose-containing nucleic acid, and functions as an enzyme. Syllabification follows standard English rules of onset-rime division, vowel-consonant separation, and diphthong treatment.

Detailed Analysis:

Linguistic Analysis of "deoxyribonuclease"

1. Pronunciation Examination:

The word "deoxyribonuclease" is pronounced /ˌdiːɒksɪraɪboʊnjuːˈkliːeɪz/. It's a complex word with multiple morphemes and a relatively uncommon structure in everyday English.

2. Syllable Division:

de-ox-y-ri-bo-nu-cle-ase

3. Morphemic Analysis:

  • Prefix: de- (Latin, meaning "removal, separation from") - functions to negate or remove something.
  • Root: oxy- (Greek, meaning "acid") - refers to oxygen, historically linked to acidic properties.
  • Root: ribo- (related to ribose, a sugar) - indicates a connection to ribose.
  • Root: nucle- (Latin, meaning "kernel, nucleus") - refers to the nucleus of a cell.
  • Suffix: -ase (Greek, meaning "enzyme") - denotes an enzyme.

4. Stress Identification:

The primary stress falls on the penultimate syllable: /ˌdiːɒksɪraɪboʊnjuːˈkliːeɪz/.

5. Phonetic Transcription:

/ˌdiːɒksɪraɪboʊnjuːˈkliːeɪz/

6. Edge Case Review:

The sequence "-ric-" can sometimes be a point of syllabification ambiguity, but in this case, it's more natural to separate it as "ri-bo-nu-". The length of the word and the presence of multiple vowels also influence the division.

7. Grammatical Role:

"Deoxyribonuclease" functions primarily as a noun. It doesn't typically change form to serve other parts of speech. Therefore, the syllabification and stress remain consistent.

8. Definition & Semantics:

  • Definition: An enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis of DNA.
  • Grammatical Category: Noun
  • Synonyms: DNAse, deoxyribonucleic acid hydrolase
  • Antonyms: DNA ligase (an enzyme that joins DNA strands)
  • Examples: "The researchers used deoxyribonuclease to break down the DNA sample."

9. Phonological Comparison:

  • Polymerase: po-ly-mer-ase - Similar structure with multiple syllables and a "-ase" suffix. Stress falls on the penultimate syllable.
  • Ribonuclease: ri-bo-nu-cle-ase - Shares the "ribo-" and "-ase" morphemes, and a similar syllabic structure. Stress falls on the penultimate syllable.
  • Glycolysis: gly-co-ly-sis - Shares the "-ase" suffix, but has a different root structure. Stress falls on the third syllable.

Syllable Analysis Breakdown:

Syllable IPA Transcription Description Rule Applied Exceptions/Special Cases
de /diː/ Open syllable, initial syllable Onset-Rime division None
ox /ɒks/ Closed syllable Consonant cluster rule (x = /ks/) None
y /aɪ/ Open syllable, diphthong Vowel digraph rule None
ri /riː/ Open syllable Vowel-Consonant division None
bo /boʊ/ Open syllable, diphthong Vowel-Consonant division None
nu /nuː/ Open syllable Vowel-Consonant division None
cle /kliː/ Closed syllable Consonant-Vowel-Consonant division None
ase /eɪz/ Closed syllable Consonant-Vowel-Consonant division None

Division Rules Applied:

  1. Onset-Rime: Dividing syllables based on the consonant onset and vowel-rich rime.
  2. Vowel-Consonant: When a syllable contains a single vowel followed by a consonant, the syllable is divided before the consonant.
  3. Consonant Cluster: Handling consonant clusters (like "x") as single units within a syllable.
  4. Diphthong Rule: Diphthongs (like "ai" and "ou") are treated as a single vowel sound within a syllable.

Special Considerations:

The length and complexity of the word make it prone to mis-syllabification. The presence of multiple vowels and consonant clusters requires careful application of the rules.

Alternative Pronunciations/Regional Variations:

While the provided IPA transcription is standard, slight variations in vowel quality (e.g., /ɒ/ vs. /ɔ/) might occur depending on regional accents. These variations wouldn't significantly alter the syllable division.

Analysis generated by gemma3:27b on 6/9/2025

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