Hyphenation ofintercommunicating

Linguistic Analysis of "intercommunicating" (US English)

1. Pronunciation Examination:

The word "intercommunicating" presents challenges due to its length and multiple morphemes. It's pronounced with a primary stress on the fifth syllable ("mu"). The vowel sounds vary slightly depending on regional accents, but a General American pronunciation is used for this analysis.

2. Syllable Division:

The syllable division, adhering to the rule of maximizing onsets (consonant clusters at the beginning of a syllable) and avoiding stranded consonants, is as follows: in-ter-com-mu-ni-cat-ing.

3. Morphemic Analysis:

• Prefix: inter- (Latin, meaning "between" or "among") - Function: Indicates reciprocity or exchange.
• Root: communic- (Latin communicare, "to share") - Function: Core meaning of conveying information.
• Suffix: -ating (English, derived from Latin -atus) - Function: Forms the present participle of the verb, indicating ongoing action.

4. Stress Identification:

The primary stress falls on the fifth syllable: in-ter-com-mu-ni-cat-ing. This is determined by the general rule that stress tends to fall on the penultimate syllable in words of Latin origin, but is influenced by the length and complexity of the word.

5. Phonetic Transcription:

/ˌɪntərkəˈmjuːnɪkeɪtɪŋ/

6. Edge Case Review:

The sequence "-mun-" can sometimes be a point of variation, but the standard pronunciation maintains a clear distinction between the syllables. The "ing" suffix is a common source of syllabic variation, but in this case, it forms a distinct syllable.

7. Grammatical Role:

"Intercommunicating" primarily functions as a present participle (verb). If used as a gerund (noun), the stress pattern remains the same.

8. Definition & Semantics:

• Definition: Engaging in reciprocal communication; exchanging information.
• Grammatical Category: Verb (present participle/gerund)
• Synonyms: communicating, exchanging, corresponding
• Antonyms: isolating, withholding, concealing
• Examples: "The two teams were intercommunicating regularly to coordinate their efforts." "Intercommunicating data streams are essential for modern network systems."

9. Phonological Comparison:

• Communicating: /kəˈmjuːnɪkeɪtɪŋ/ - Syllables: com-mu-ni-cat-ing. Similar structure, but lacks the inter- prefix. Stress pattern is also similar.
• Miscommunicating: /ˌmɪskəˈmjuːnɪkeɪtɪŋ/ - Syllables: mis-com-mu-ni-cat-ing. The addition of the mis- prefix adds a syllable. Stress pattern remains similar.
• Multicommunication: /ˌmʌltikəˌmjuːnɪˈkeɪʃən/ - Syllables: mul-ti-com-mu-ni-ca-tion. The addition of the multi- prefix and the change to a noun form alters the syllable count and stress pattern.

Detailed Syllable Analysis:

Division Rules Applied:

1. Maximize Onsets: Consonant clusters are generally kept together in the onset of a syllable.
2. Avoid Stranded Consonants: Consonants are not left alone to form a syllable.
3. Glide Formation: Syllables containing glides (like /j/ or /w/) are formed based on vowel proximity.

Special Considerations:

The word's length and complex morphology require careful consideration of stress placement and syllable boundaries. Regional variations in vowel pronunciation could slightly alter the phonetic realization of certain syllables.

Short Analysis:

"Intercommunicating" is a seven-syllable word (in-ter-com-mu-ni-cat-ing) derived from Latin roots. It's a verb (present participle) with primary stress on the fifth syllable (/muː/). Syllabification follows rules maximizing onsets and avoiding stranded consonants.