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Hyphenation ofparallelepipedous

Syllable Division & Pronunciation

Syllable Division:

pa-ral-le-le-pi-pe-dous

Phonetic Transcription:(how the word sounds using IPA symbols)

/ˌpærəˈlɛləˌpɪpɪˈdoʊs/

Stress Pattern:(which syllables are emphasized when speaking)

0010011

Primary stress on the fourth syllable ('le'). Secondary stress on the penultimate syllable ('pe').

Detailed Syllable Breakdown

Syllables are the building blocks of words - each one typically contains a vowel sound

pa/pə/

Open syllable, initial syllable

ral/ræl/

Closed syllable

le/lɛ/

Open syllable

le/lɛ/

Open syllable, repetition of 'le'

pi/pɪ/

Open syllable

pe/pɪ/

Open syllable

dous/doʊs/

Closed syllable

Morphemic Breakdown

Morphemes are the smallest meaningful parts of words: prefixes (beginning), roots (core meaning), and suffixes (ending)

para-(prefix)
+
pip-(root)
+
-edous(suffix)

Prefix: para-

Greek origin, meaning 'beside, near, similar to'

Root: pip-

Greek origin, relating to a long, cylindrical shape

Suffix: -edous

Greek origin, meaning 'having the form of, resembling'

Meanings & Definitions
adjective(grammatical role in sentences)

Having the form of a parallelepiped; resembling a parallelepiped.

Examples:

"The crystal had a distinctly parallelepipedous shape."

Similar Words Comparison

Words with similar syllable patterns or pronunciation features

telephonete-le-phone

Similar vowel-consonant structure, but shorter and simpler.

hippopotamuship-po-po-ta-mus

Shares the '-po-' sequence, but different overall structure.

mathematicsma-the-ma-tics

Multiple syllables and vowel sounds, but lacks complex consonant clusters.

Syllable Division Rules

The linguistic principles used to determine where syllables begin and end

Vowel-Consonant Rule

Syllables are often divided after a vowel sound.

Consonant Cluster Rule

Consonant clusters are generally kept together within a syllable.

Consonant-Vowel-Consonant Rule

Syllables are often divided before and after a vowel surrounded by consonants.

Special Considerations

Important exceptions or unusual features in this word's pronunciation or structure

The word's length and unusual morphemic structure make it a challenging case for syllabification. The repetition of 'le' and the '-lepip-' sequence require careful application of the rules.

Analysis Summary

Summary:

The word 'parallelepipedous' is a complex adjective of Greek origin. It is syllabified as pa-ral-le-le-pi-pe-dous, with primary stress on the fourth syllable. Its morphemic structure includes the prefix 'para-', roots 'allele-' and 'pip-', and the suffix '-edous'. Syllable division follows standard English rules of vowel-consonant separation and consonant cluster maintenance.

Detailed Analysis:

Linguistic Analysis of "parallelepipedous"

1. Pronunciation Examination:

The word "parallelepipedous" is pronounced /ˌpærəˈlɛləˌpɪpɪˈdoʊs/ in US English. It presents challenges due to its length, multiple vowel sounds, and consonant clusters.

2. Syllable Division:

Following English syllable division rules, the word breaks down as follows (using only original letters): pa-ral-le-le-pi-pe-dous

3. Morphemic Analysis:

  • Prefix: para- (Greek origin, meaning "beside," "near," or "similar to"). Morphological function: indicates similarity or comparison.
  • Root: allele- (Greek origin, meaning "one another," "each other"). Related to allelos.
  • Root: pip- (Greek origin, relating to a long, cylindrical shape).
  • Suffix: -edous (Greek origin, meaning "having the form of," "resembling"). Morphological function: forms an adjective.

4. Stress Identification:

The primary stress falls on the fourth syllable: pa-ral-le-le-pi-pe-dous. A secondary stress appears on the penultimate syllable: pa-ral-le-le-pi-pe-dous.

5. Phonetic Transcription:

/ˌpærəˈlɛləˌpɪpɪˈdoʊs/

6. Edge Case Review:

The sequence "-lepip-" is unusual and requires careful consideration. The vowel clusters and consonant clusters are also noteworthy.

7. Grammatical Role:

"Parallelepipedous" functions exclusively as an adjective. Syllabification and stress remain consistent regardless of its use in a sentence.

8. Definition & Semantics:

  • Definition: Having the form of a parallelepiped; resembling a parallelepiped.
  • Grammatical Category: Adjective
  • Synonyms: prism-shaped, rectangular, block-like
  • Antonyms: curved, spherical, irregular
  • Examples: "The crystal had a distinctly parallelepipedous shape."

9. Phonological Comparison:

  • "telephone": te-le-phone. Similar vowel-consonant structure, but shorter and simpler. Stress on the penultimate syllable.
  • "hippopotamus": hip-po-po-ta-mus. Shares the "-po-" sequence, but has a different overall structure and stress pattern.
  • "mathematics": ma-the-ma-tics. Contains multiple syllables and vowel sounds, but lacks the complex consonant clusters of "parallelepipedous."

Detailed Syllable Analysis:

Syllable IPA Transcription Description Rule Applied Exceptions/Special Cases
pa /pə/ Open syllable, initial syllable Vowel-consonant rule None
ral /ræl/ Closed syllable Consonant cluster rule, vowel-consonant-consonant None
le /lɛ/ Open syllable Vowel-consonant rule None
le /lɛ/ Open syllable Vowel-consonant rule Repetition of 'le'
pi /pɪ/ Open syllable Vowel-consonant rule None
pe /pɪ/ Open syllable Vowel-consonant rule None
dous /doʊs/ Closed syllable Consonant-vowel-consonant rule None

Division Rules Applied:

  1. Vowel-Consonant Rule: Syllables are often divided after a vowel sound.
  2. Consonant Cluster Rule: Consonant clusters are generally kept together within a syllable.
  3. Consonant-Vowel-Consonant Rule: Syllables are often divided before and after a vowel surrounded by consonants.

Special Considerations:

The word's length and unusual morphemic structure make it a challenging case for syllabification. The repetition of "le" and the "-lepip-" sequence require careful application of the rules.

Alternative Pronunciations/Regional Variations:

Minor variations in vowel pronunciation (e.g., /æ/ vs. /ɛ/ in the first syllable) may occur depending on regional accents. These variations would not significantly alter the syllable division.

Analysis generated by gemma3:27b on 6/8/2025

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What is hyphenation

Hyphenation is the process of dividing words across lines in print or on websites. It involves inserting hyphens (-) where a word breaks to continue on the next line.

Proper hyphenation improves readability by reducing the unevenness of word spacing and unnecessary large gaps. It also helps avoid confusion that may occur when part of a word carries over. Ideal hyphenation should break words according to pronunciation and syllables. Most word processors and publishing apps have automated tools to handle hyphenation effectively based on language rules and dictionaries. Though subtle, proper hyphenation improves overall typography and reading comfort.