Hyphenation ofill-temperedness

Linguistic Analysis of "ill-temperedness" (US English)

1. Pronunciation Examination:

The word "ill-temperedness" is pronounced with a relatively consistent articulation across most US English dialects. The primary stress falls on the third syllable. The 'l' in 'ill' is typically pronounced as a clear lateral approximant /l/. The 'er' in 'tempered' is a rhotic vowel.

2. Syllable Division:

Following US English syllabification rules, the word divides as follows: ill-tem-pered-ness.

3. Morphemic Analysis:

• Prefix: ill- (Latin origin, meaning 'badly' or 'not'). Morphological function: negative prefix.
• Root: temper- (Latin temperare, meaning 'to mix, moderate'). Morphological function: base word denoting disposition.
• Suffix: -ed (Anglo-Saxon origin). Morphological function: past participle/adjective forming suffix.
• Suffix: -ness (Anglo-Saxon origin). Morphological function: noun forming suffix, denoting a state or quality.

4. Stress Identification:

The primary stress falls on the third syllable: tem-pered-ness.

5. Phonetic Transcription:

/ɪlˈtɛmpərdnəs/

6. Edge Case Review:

There are no significant edge cases or regional variations affecting the syllabification of this word. The vowel quality in 'temper' might vary slightly between dialects, but this doesn't impact syllable division.

7. Grammatical Role:

"Ill-temperedness" functions solely as a noun. As a noun, the stress pattern remains consistent.

8. Definition & Semantics:

• Definition: The state of being easily angered; a bad temper.
• Grammatical Category: Noun
• Synonyms: irritability, bad temper, cantankerousness, peevishness
• Antonyms: good humor, patience, equanimity
• Examples: "His ill-temperedness made him difficult to work with." "She apologized for her ill-temperedness during the meeting."

9. Phonological Comparison:

• bitterness: bit-ter-ness. Similar structure with a prefix + root + -ness suffix. Stress on the second syllable.
• kindness: kind-ness. Simpler structure, but shares the -ness suffix. Stress on the first syllable.
• sweetness: sweet-ness. Similar to kindness, highlighting the consistent syllabification of words ending in -ness. Stress on the first syllable.

The difference in stress placement in "ill-temperedness" compared to "bitterness," "kindness," and "sweetness" is due to the length and complexity of the root word ("temper" vs. "bitter," "kind," "sweet"). Longer roots tend to attract stress.

Detailed Syllable Analysis:

• ill: /ɪl/ - Open syllable. Rule: Vowel + Consonant. Exception: The 'l' is a liquid consonant, allowing it to form an open syllable.
• tem: /tɛm/ - Closed syllable. Rule: Consonant + Vowel + Consonant.
• pered: /pərd/ - Closed syllable. Rule: Consonant + Vowel + Consonant.
• ness: /nəs/ - Closed syllable. Rule: Consonant + Vowel + Consonant.

Division Rules Applied:

1. Vowel-Consonant (VC) Rule: Syllables are often divided after a vowel followed by a consonant.
2. Consonant-Vowel-Consonant (CVC) Rule: Syllables are often divided before and after a vowel sandwiched between two consonants.
3. Liquid Consonant Rule: Liquid consonants (l, r) can often form syllables with preceding vowels.

Special Considerations:

The hyphenated spelling "ill-tempered" is a compound adjective, but when combined with "-ness" to form a noun, the hyphen is dropped, and the syllabification follows standard rules.

Alternative Pronunciations/Regional Variations:

Minor variations in vowel quality (e.g., /ɛ/ vs. /æ/ in "temper") might occur, but these do not affect the syllable division.