Hyphenation ofnonreasonableness

Linguistic Analysis of "nonreasonableness"

1. Pronunciation Examination:

The word "nonreasonableness" is a complex word with multiple morphemes. Its pronunciation in US English involves a series of vowel and consonant sounds, with stress falling on a later syllable.

2. Syllable Division:

Following English syllabification rules, the word breaks down as follows (using only original letters): non-rea-son-a-ble-ness

3. Morphemic Analysis:

• Prefix: non- (Latin origin, meaning "not") - Negation.
• Root: reason (Old French raison, ultimately from Latin ratio) - The faculty of thinking, understanding, and making rational judgments.
• Suffix: -ableness (Old English -nes, combined with able) - Forms abstract nouns denoting a quality or state of being able to be. This suffix is composed of able (capable of) + -ness (state of being).

4. Stress Identification:

The primary stress falls on the fourth syllable: non-rea-son-a-ble-ness. This is determined by the general rule that stress tends to fall on the penultimate syllable in words ending in -ness, -ity, -tion, etc., unless overridden by other factors.

5. Phonetic Transcription:

/ˌnɑnˈriːzənəblnəs/

6. Edge Case Review:

The sequence of vowels and consonants presents a challenge. The 'ea' digraph is pronounced as a long 'ee' sound. The 'son' sequence is a common syllable structure, but the overall length of the word requires careful consideration of stress and syllable boundaries.

7. Grammatical Role:

"Nonreasonableness" functions solely as a noun. Syllabification and stress remain consistent regardless of its role within a sentence.

8. Definition & Semantics:

• Definition: The quality or state of not being reasonable; lack of good sense or sound judgment.
• Grammatical Category: Noun
• Synonyms: irrationality, absurdity, senselessness, illogicality
• Antonyms: reasonableness, rationality, logic
• Example Usage: "His nonreasonableness in refusing to compromise led to the failure of the negotiations."

9. Phonological Comparison:

• Happiness: hap-pi-ness. Similar suffix structure (-ness), but simpler root. Stress falls on the first syllable.
• Possibility: pos-si-bil-i-ty. Similar suffix structure (-ity), but different vowel sounds and syllable count. Stress falls on the third syllable.
• Understandableness: un-der-stand-a-ble-ness. Similar prefix and suffix structure, but a different root. Stress falls on the fourth syllable, similar to "nonreasonableness".

The difference in stress placement is due to the length and complexity of the root morpheme. Longer roots tend to attract stress later in the word.

Detailed Syllable Analysis:

Division Rules Applied:

1. Vowel-C-C Rule: A vowel followed by two consonants typically divides into syllables after the first consonant (e.g., "son").
2. Vowel-C Rule: A vowel followed by a consonant typically forms a syllable (e.g., "rea").
3. C-V-C Rule: A consonant-vowel-consonant sequence typically forms a syllable (e.g., "ness").
4. Vowel Alone: A single vowel often constitutes a syllable (e.g., "a").

Special Considerations:

The word's length and multiple morphemes make syllabification complex. The 'ea' digraph requires knowledge of English orthography and pronunciation. The schwa sound in the fourth syllable is common in unstressed positions.

Alternative Pronunciations/Regional Variations:

Some regional variations might slightly alter vowel sounds, but the core syllabification remains consistent.