Hyphenation ofnonretentiveness

Linguistic Analysis of "nonretentiveness"

1. Pronunciation Examination:

The word "nonretentiveness" is a complex word with multiple morphemes. Its pronunciation in US English involves a mix of stressed and unstressed syllables, with a tendency towards reduced vowels in unstressed positions.

2. Syllable Division:

Following US English syllabification rules, the word breaks down as follows (using only original letters): non-re-ten-tive-ness

3. Morphemic Analysis:

• Prefix: non- (Latin, meaning "not") - Negation.
• Root: retent- (Latin retinere - to hold back, retain) - The core meaning of holding or keeping.
• Suffix: -ive (Latin, adjectival suffix) - Forms an adjective meaning "having the quality of".
• Suffix: -ness (Old English, nominal suffix) - Forms a noun denoting a state or quality.

4. Stress Identification:

The primary stress falls on the fourth syllable: ten-tive-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:

/ˌnɑn.rɪˈten.tɪv.nəs/

6. Edge Case Review:

The sequence "ten" can sometimes be reduced to /tən/ in rapid speech, but the full form is more common in careful pronunciation. The "non" prefix is often pronounced as /nɑn/ rather than /nɒn/.

7. Grammatical Role:

"Nonretentiveness" functions solely as a noun. Syllabification and stress remain consistent regardless of its grammatical context (as it's not inflected).

8. Definition & Semantics:

• Definition: The quality or state of not being retentive; lack of ability to remember or hold information.
• Grammatical Category: Noun
• Synonyms: forgetfulness, unremembering, lack of retention
• Antonyms: retentiveness, memorability, recall
• Example Usage: "His nonretentiveness made it difficult for him to learn new languages."

9. Phonological Comparison:

• Responsiveness: re-spon-sive-ness. Similar structure with a prefix, root, and -ness suffix. Stress falls on the third syllable (spon-). The difference in stress placement is due to the length and complexity of the root.
• Correctiveness: cor-rect-ive-ness. Again, similar structure. Stress falls on the second syllable (cor-). The shorter root allows for earlier stress placement.
• Objectiveness: ob-jec-tive-ness. Similar structure. Stress falls on the third syllable (jec-). The root's vowel quality influences stress.

Syllable Breakdown Details:

• non-: /nɑn/ - Open syllable. Rule: Syllables are formed around vowel sounds. Exception: The 'n' is part of the prefix.
• re-: /ri/ - Open syllable. Rule: Vowel followed by consonant(s) creates a syllable.
• ten-: /ten/ - Closed syllable. Rule: Vowel followed by consonant(s) creates a syllable.
• tive-: /tɪv/ - Closed syllable. Rule: Vowel followed by consonant(s) creates a syllable.
• ness: /nəs/ - Closed syllable. Rule: Vowel followed by consonant(s) creates a syllable.

Division Rules Applied:

1. Vowel Peak 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 following consonants).
3. Consonant Cluster Rule: Consonant clusters are generally split to maintain pronounceability, but in this case, the clusters are relatively simple and remain within syllables.

Special Considerations:

The prefix "non" can sometimes be pronounced with a longer vowel sound (/nɔn/), but /nɑn/ is more common in US English. The vowel reduction in unstressed syllables is a common feature of English pronunciation.

Alternative Pronunciations/Regional Variations:

Some regional variations might exhibit slightly different vowel qualities or stress patterns, but the overall syllabification remains consistent.