Hyphenation ofneglected-looking

Linguistic Analysis of "neglected-looking" (US English)

1. Pronunciation Examination:

The word "neglected-looking" presents a complex syllabic structure due to its compound nature and multiple morphemes. The pronunciation involves a blend of regular and irregular stress patterns.

2. Syllable Division:

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

3. Morphemic Analysis:

• Prefix: neglect- (Latin neglegere - to fail to attend to). Morphological function: Creates a negative connotation.
• Root: lect (Latin legere - to read, gather, choose). Forms the core meaning related to attention.
• Suffix: -ed (Old English -ed). Morphological function: Past tense marker.
• Suffix: -looking (Old English locian - to look). Morphological function: Present participle acting as an adjective, describing appearance or state.

4. Stress Identification:

The primary stress falls on the third syllable: "lect". Secondary stress falls on "look".

5. Phonetic Transcription:

/ˈnɛɡˌlɛktɪd ˈlʊkɪŋ/

6. Edge Case Review:

The compound nature of the word (past participle + present participle) introduces a slight complexity. The -ed suffix is often reduced to /ɪd/ after /t/ or /d/ sounds, but in this case, it remains /ɪd/.

7. Grammatical Role:

"Neglected-looking" functions primarily as an adjective. The syllabification and stress remain consistent regardless of its use in a sentence.

8. Definition & Semantics:

• Definition: Appearing to have been uncared for or ignored; in a state of disrepair or sadness due to lack of attention.
• Grammatical Category: Adjective
• Synonyms: rundown, dilapidated, forlorn, unkempt, shabby
• Antonyms: well-maintained, pristine, flourishing, vibrant
• Examples: "The neglected-looking garden was overgrown with weeds." "She had a neglected-looking expression on her face."

9. Phonological Comparison:

• "respected-looking": re-spect-ed ˈlʊkɪŋ. Similar syllable structure, stress on the root syllable.
• "protected-looking": pro-tect-ed ˈlʊkɪŋ. Similar syllable structure, stress on the root syllable.
• "rejected-looking": re-ject-ed ˈlʊkɪŋ. Similar syllable structure, stress on the root syllable.

The consistent stress pattern on the root syllable ("-lect", "-spect", "-tect", "-ject") demonstrates a common pattern in past participle + present participle adjective formations.

Detailed Syllable Analysis:

• ne-: /ni/ - Open syllable. Rule: Initial syllable, vowel sound followed by consonant. Exception: None.
• glect-: /ɡlɛkt/ - Closed syllable. Rule: Vowel sound followed by consonant cluster. Exception: None.
• -ed: /ɪd/ - Closed syllable. Rule: Vowel sound followed by consonant cluster. Exception: The /ɪd/ is a common past tense suffix pronunciation.
• look-: /lʊk/ - Open syllable. Rule: Vowel sound followed by consonant. Exception: None.
• -ing: /ɪŋ/ - Closed syllable. Rule: Vowel sound followed by nasal consonant cluster. Exception: None.

Division Rules Applied:

1. Vowel-Consonant (VC) Division: Syllables are often divided after a vowel followed by a consonant (e.g., "ne-").
2. Consonant Cluster Division: Syllables are divided before consonant clusters (e.g., "-ed", "-ing").
3. Morpheme Boundary: Syllable division often respects morpheme boundaries (e.g., "neglect-ed").

Special Considerations:

The compound structure of the word requires careful consideration of morpheme boundaries. The pronunciation of the -ed suffix can vary, but in this case, it's pronounced as /ɪd/.

Alternative Pronunciations/Regional Variations:

While the provided IPA transcription represents the most common US English pronunciation, some regional variations might exist in the vowel sounds.