Hyphenation ofmachine-breaking

Linguistic Analysis of "machine-breaking" (US English)

1. Pronunciation Examination:

The word "machine-breaking" is a compound word formed by combining "machine" and "breaking." It's pronounced /məˈʃiːn ˈbreɪkɪŋ/ in General American English. The pronunciation involves a schwa in the first syllable of "machine," a long /iː/ vowel, and stress on the second syllable of "breaking."

2. Syllable Division:

The syllable division, adhering to the rule of using only original letters, is: ma-chine-break-ing.

3. Morphemic Analysis:

• Prefix: None
• Root: machine (from French machine, ultimately from Latin machina meaning "device") - Noun, denoting a mechanical device.
• Suffix: -breaking (from Old English brecan meaning "to shatter") - Present participle suffix, forming a gerund or part of a continuous verb tense. It functions as a verb form.

4. Stress Identification:

The primary stress falls on the second syllable of "breaking" (break-ing). The stress pattern is determined by the rule that suffixes generally receive stress unless the root is stressed.

5. Phonetic Transcription:

/məˈʃiːn ˈbreɪkɪŋ/

6. Edge Case Review:

The compound nature of the word presents a slight edge case. While compound words are often treated as separate units for stress, the suffix "-ing" strongly attracts stress in this case.

7. Grammatical Role:

"Machine-breaking" primarily functions as an adjective (describing a process or activity) or a gerund (a verb acting as a noun). The syllabification and stress remain consistent regardless of its grammatical role.

8. Definition & Semantics:

• Definition: Relating to the act of destroying or disabling machines; causing machines to malfunction.
• Grammatical Category: Adjective/Gerund
• Synonyms: sabotaging, dismantling, wrecking, disabling
• Antonyms: maintaining, repairing, constructing
• Examples: "The machine-breaking protest aimed to disrupt factory production." "Machine-breaking was a common tactic during the Luddite movement."

9. Phonological Comparison:

• "heartbreaking": heart-break-ing. Similar structure, stress on the second syllable of the compound.
• "time-consuming": time-con-sum-ing. Stress on the second syllable, similar to "machine-breaking."
• "world-shattering": world-shat-ter-ing. Stress on the second syllable, following the same pattern.

The consistency in stress placement across these words demonstrates the rule that suffixes, particularly those forming verb forms, tend to attract stress.

Detailed Syllable Analysis:

• ma /mə/ - Open syllable, unstressed. Rule: Syllables are formed around vowel sounds.
• chine /ʃiːn/ - Closed syllable, unstressed. Rule: Consonant clusters can form part of a syllable.
• break /breɪk/ - Closed syllable, stressed. Rule: Stress typically falls on the penultimate syllable in words with certain vowel patterns.
• ing /ɪŋ/ - Closed syllable, unstressed. Rule: Suffixes often form separate syllables.

Exceptions/Special Cases:

• The schwa sound /ə/ in "ma" is a common reduction in unstressed syllables.
• The diphthong /eɪ/ in "break" is a typical vowel sound in stressed syllables.

Division Rules Applied:

1. Vowel Nucleus Rule: Each syllable must contain a vowel sound.
2. Onset-Rime Rule: Syllables are divided into an onset (initial consonant(s)) and a rime (vowel and any following consonants).
3. Stress Assignment Rule: Stress is assigned based on morphological structure and vowel patterns.
4. Compound Word Rule: Compound words are divided based on the constituent words.

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