Hyphenation ofnonprobabilities

Linguistic Analysis of "nonprobabilities"

1. Pronunciation Examination:

The word "nonprobabilities" is pronounced as /ˌnɑnˌprɑbəˈbɪlətiz/. It presents challenges due to the prefix "non-", the compound structure, and the final "-ties" suffix.

2. Syllable Division:

Following English syllabification rules, the word divides as: non-prob-a-bil-i-ties.

3. Morphemic Analysis:

• Prefix: non- (Latin origin, meaning "not"). Morphological function: negation.
• Root: probabil- (Latin probabilis, meaning "probable"). Morphological function: core meaning.
• Suffix: -ities (Latin origin, from -itas + -es). Morphological function: forms a plural noun denoting states or qualities.

4. Stress Identification:

The primary stress falls on the third syllable: /ˌnɑnˌprɑbəˈbɪlətiz/. This is typical for words ending in "-ity" or "-ties".

5. Phonetic Transcription:

/ˌnɑnˌprɑbəˈbɪlətiz/

6. Edge Case Review:

The sequence "prob" can sometimes be a point of variation, but in this case, it's clearly part of the root and doesn't allow for alternative divisions. The "non-" prefix is generally treated as a separate syllable.

7. Grammatical Role:

"Nonprobabilities" functions solely as a plural noun. Syllabification and stress remain consistent regardless of its grammatical context within a sentence.

8. Definition & Semantics:

• Definition: Things that are not probabilities; events or outcomes that are not likely to occur.
• Grammatical Category: Noun (plural)
• Synonyms: impossibilities, unlikelihoods
• Antonyms: certainties, probabilities
• Examples: "The calculations revealed a range of possibilities, but also several nonprobabilities."

9. Phonological Comparison:

• Possibilities: pos-si-bil-i-ties. Similar structure, stress on the third syllable.
• Probabilities: prob-a-bil-i-ties. Similar structure, stress on the third syllable.
• Improbabilities: im-prob-a-bil-i-ties. Similar structure, stress on the third syllable.

The consistent stress pattern across these words highlights the influence of the "-ities" suffix in attracting stress. The addition of "non-" or "im-" simply adds a syllable at the beginning without altering the core stress pattern.

Detailed Syllable Breakdown & Rules:

Division Rules Applied:

1. Vowel-Coda Rule: Syllables are generally formed around vowel sounds. Each vowel sound typically forms the nucleus of a syllable.
2. Consonant Cluster Rule: Consonant clusters are generally maintained within a syllable unless breaking them would create an illegal syllable structure.
3. Prefix Rule: Prefixes are generally separated into their own syllables.

Special Considerations:

The word's length and complex morphology require careful application of syllabification rules. The "non-" prefix is consistently treated as a separate syllable. The stress pattern is predictable based on the suffix "-ities".

Alternative Pronunciations/Regional Variations:

Some speakers might slightly reduce the vowel in the unstressed syllables (e.g., /ˌnɑnˌprɑbəˈbɪlətiz/ becoming /ˌnənˌprəbəˈbɪlətiz/), but this doesn't affect the syllable division.