Hyphenation ofdiscriminability

1. IPA Transcription: /dɪˌskrɪmɪˈnæbɪlɪti/

2. Morphemic Breakdown:

• Prefix: dis- (Latin, meaning "apart," "not," or "opposite of") - Negation.
• Root: crim- (Latin cernere "to separate, distinguish") - Core meaning of discernment.
• Suffix: -inable (Latin -abilis + English -able) - Adjective forming suffix, indicating capability.
• Suffix: -ity (Latin -itas) - Noun forming suffix, denoting a state or quality.

3. Stressed Syllables: The primary stress falls on the third syllable: na. Secondary stress is on the first syllable: dis.

4. Syllables List with IPA and Rule Explanations:

• dis /dɪs/ - Open syllable. Rule: Onset-rime structure. Vowel followed by consonant.
• cri /krɪ/ - Closed syllable. Rule: Consonant cluster followed by vowel.
• mi /mɪ/ - Open syllable. Rule: Onset-rime structure.
• na /næ/ - Open syllable. Rule: Onset-rime structure. Primary stress.
• bi /bɪ/ - Open syllable. Rule: Onset-rime structure.
• li /lɪ/ - Open syllable. Rule: Onset-rime structure.
• ty /ti/ - Closed syllable. Rule: Consonant followed by vowel.

5. Syllable Division Rule Explanations:

• The primary rule applied is the "Vowel Break" rule, where syllables are generally divided around vowel sounds.
• Consonant clusters are generally kept together within a syllable unless they are easily separable by a vowel sound.
• Open syllables (ending in a vowel sound) are preferred over closed syllables (ending in a consonant sound) when dividing words.

6. Potential Exceptions/Special Cases (per syllable):

• The /kr/ cluster in "cri" could potentially be considered a more complex onset, but is commonly treated as a single unit in English syllabification.
• The vowel sounds in the unstressed syllables are reduced (schwa /ə/ is common).

7. Exceptions/Special Cases (word-level):

• The word's length and complex morphology make it a challenging case for simple syllabification rules.
• The presence of multiple suffixes adds to the complexity.

8. Grammatical Role & Syllabification Shifts:

• "Discriminability" primarily functions as a noun. While it doesn't have a common verb form, if a related verb existed (hypothetically), the stress pattern might shift slightly, potentially placing primary stress on the root syllable ("crim"). However, the syllable division would remain largely the same.

9. Definition & Semantics:

• Definition: The quality of being distinguishable; the capacity to be differentiated.
• Grammatical Category: Noun
• Synonyms: distinguishability, perceptibility, discernibility
• Antonyms: indistinguishability, similarity, uniformity
• Examples: "The discriminability of the two sounds was very low." "The study examined the discriminability of faces."

10. Alternative Pronunciations/Regional Variations:

• Some speakers might slightly reduce the vowel in "bi" to a schwa /ə/, resulting in a pronunciation closer to /dɪˌskrɪmɪˈnæbəliːti/. This would not significantly alter the syllable division.
• Regional accents might affect vowel quality, but the core syllable structure would remain consistent.

11. Phonological Comparison:

• Probability: /prɒbəˈbɪləti/ - Syllable division: pro-ba-bi-li-ty. Similar structure with multiple suffixes. Stress on the "bi" syllable.
• Accessibility: /ækˌsɛsəˈbɪləti/ - Syllable division: ac-ces-si-bi-li-ty. Similar structure with multiple suffixes. Stress on the "bi" syllable.
• Responsibility: /rɪˌspɒnsəˈbɪləti/ - Syllable division: re-spon-si-bi-li-ty. Similar structure with multiple suffixes. Stress on the "bi" syllable.

These words all share a similar suffix structure (-ability/-ity) and exhibit a tendency for stress to fall on the penultimate syllable before the suffix. The syllable division rules applied are consistent across these examples.