Hyphenation ofintercommunicable

Linguistic Analysis of "intercommunicable" (US English)

1. Pronunciation Examination:

The word "intercommunicable" is a relatively complex word with multiple morphemes and potential points of syllabic division. Its pronunciation involves several consonant clusters and vowel sequences, requiring careful application of English syllabification rules.

2. Syllable Division:

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

3. Morphemic Analysis:

• Prefix: inter- (Latin, meaning "between" or "among") - Function: Indicates reciprocity or exchange.
• Root: communic- (Latin, communicare meaning "to share, impart") - Function: Core meaning of conveying information.
• Suffix: -able (Latin, -abilis) - Function: Forms an adjective meaning "capable of being."

4. Stress Identification:

The primary stress falls on the fourth syllable: in-ter-com-mu-ni-ca-ble.

5. Phonetic Transcription:

/ˌɪntərkəˈmjuːnɪkəbl̩/

6. Edge Case Review:

The presence of the schwa /ə/ in the second and fifth syllables is common in unstressed syllables in English. The syllabic consonant /l̩/ in the final syllable is also a typical feature of English phonology.

7. Grammatical Role:

"Intercommunicable" functions primarily as an adjective. While it doesn't readily shift to other parts of speech, the stress pattern remains consistent regardless of its use in a sentence.

8. Definition & Semantics:

• Definition: Capable of being communicated; mutually communicable.
• Grammatical Category: Adjective
• Synonyms: communicable, transmittable, shareable
• Antonyms: incommunicable, uncommunicable
• Examples:
  • "The information was not intercommunicable due to security protocols."
  • "They needed a system that made their data intercommunicable across departments."

9. Phonological Comparison:

• Comparable Word 1: incompatible (in-com-pat-i-ble) - Similar structure with a prefix and suffix. Stress falls on the third syllable.
• Comparable Word 2: uncommunicative (un-com-mu-ni-ca-tive) - Shares the root communic- and a similar suffix structure. Stress falls on the fourth syllable.
• Comparable Word 3: interchangeable (in-ter-change-a-ble) - Similar prefix inter- and suffix -able. Stress falls on the third syllable.

The differences in stress placement are due to the varying number of syllables and the weight of the morphemes. Intercommunicable has a longer root and more syllables, leading to a later stress placement.

Detailed Syllable Analysis:

Syllable Division Rules Applied:

1. Vowel-Consonant (VC): Syllables often end in a vowel sound followed by a consonant.
2. Consonant-Vowel (CV): Syllables often begin with a consonant sound followed by a vowel.
3. Consonant Clusters: Consonant clusters are generally kept together within a syllable unless they are easily separable by a vowel.
4. Syllabic Consonant: /l/ can function as a syllable nucleus when following a consonant.

Special Considerations:

The word's length and complex morphology make it prone to mis-syllabification. The schwa reduction in unstressed syllables is a common feature of English pronunciation and must be accounted for. The syllabic /l/ in the final syllable is a specific phonetic feature that affects syllable division.

Alternative Pronunciations/Regional Variations:

While the provided IPA transcription represents the most common US English pronunciation, slight variations may occur based on regional accents. These variations are unlikely to significantly alter the syllable division.

Short Analysis:

"Intercommunicable" is a seven-syllable adjective with primary stress on the fourth syllable (/ˌɪntərkəˈmjuːnɪkəbl̩/). It's derived from Latin roots and follows standard English syllabification rules based on vowel-consonant patterns and consonant clusters. The presence of a syllabic consonant in the final syllable is a notable phonetic feature.