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Hyphenation ofperchlorethylene

Syllable Division & Pronunciation

Syllable Division:

per-chlor-e-thy-lene

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

/pɜːrˌklɔːrɪˈθiːliːn/

Stress Pattern:(which syllables are emphasized when speaking)

00010

Primary stress falls on the fourth syllable ('thy'), indicated by '1'. The other syllables are unstressed ('0').

Detailed Syllable Breakdown

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

per/pɜːr/

Open syllable, vowel followed by consonant.

chlor/klɔːr/

Closed syllable, vowel followed by consonant cluster.

e/ɪ/

Open syllable, single vowel (schwa).

thy/θiː/

Open syllable, vowel preceded by consonant cluster.

lene/liːn/

Open syllable, vowel followed by consonant.

Morphemic Breakdown

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

per-(prefix)
+
chlor-(root)
+
-ethylene(suffix)

Prefix: per-

Latin origin, meaning 'through' or 'thoroughly', functions as an intensifier.

Root: chlor-

Greek origin, from 'khlōros' meaning 'pale green', refers to chlorine.

Suffix: -ethylene

Greek origin, indicates an unsaturated hydrocarbon.

Meanings & Definitions
noun(grammatical role in sentences)

A clear, colorless liquid, C₂Cl₄, used primarily as a degreasing solvent.

Examples:

"The metal parts were cleaned with perchlorethylene."

"Exposure to perchlorethylene can be harmful."

Similar Words Comparison

Words with similar syllable patterns or pronunciation features

Chlorinechlor-ine

Shares the 'chlor-' root, demonstrating a similar morphological structure.

Ethyleneeth-y-lene

Shares the '-ylene' suffix, exhibiting a consistent syllable division pattern.

Perchloricper-chlor-ic

Contains the 'per-chlor-' prefix, showing a similar initial syllable division.

Syllable Division Rules

The linguistic principles used to determine where syllables begin and end

Vowel-Consonant

Syllables typically end in a vowel sound.

Consonant Cluster

Consonant clusters are generally kept together within a syllable.

Digraphs

Digraphs (like 'ch' and 'th') are treated as single consonant sounds for syllabification.

Schwa Vowel

Unstressed vowels often reduce to a schwa sound and form their own syllable.

Special Considerations

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

The word is a compound, following rules for combining morphemes.

The stress pattern is somewhat unusual, falling on the fourth syllable.

The 'r' in 'per' is a post-vocalic 'r' which can influence vowel quality.

Analysis Summary

Summary:

Perchlorethylene is a five-syllable noun with primary stress on the fourth syllable. It's formed from the prefix 'per-', root 'chlor-', and suffix '-ethylene'. Syllabification follows standard vowel-consonant and consonant cluster rules, with the 'ch' and 'th' digraphs treated as single sounds. The word's structure is consistent with similar compounds containing 'chlor-' and '-ylene'.

Detailed Analysis:

Linguistic Analysis of "perchlorethylene"

1. Pronunciation Examination:

The word "perchlorethylene" is pronounced /pɜːrˌklɔːrɪˈθiːliːn/ (General American English). It's a complex word with multiple syllables and a relatively uncommon stress pattern.

2. Syllable Division:

The syllable division, adhering to the rule of using only the original letters, is: per-chlor-e-thy-lene

3. Morphemic Analysis:

  • Prefix: per- (Latin, meaning "through" or "thoroughly"). Morphological function: intensifier.
  • Root: chlor- (Greek, from khlōros meaning "pale green"). Refers to chlorine.
  • Suffix: -ethylene (Greek, aithēnos meaning "burning" + -lene denoting an unsaturated hydrocarbon). Morphological function: indicates a type of hydrocarbon.

4. Stress Identification:

The primary stress falls on the fourth syllable: /pɜːrˌklɔːrɪˈθiːliːn/.

5. Phonetic Transcription:

/pɜːrˌklɔːrɪˈθiːliːn/

6. Edge Case Review:

The sequence "-chl-" is relatively uncommon in English, and the vowel quality in the first syllable can vary slightly. The "e" before "thy" is a schwa vowel, and the final "-lene" is a relatively stable syllable.

7. Grammatical Role:

"Perchlorethylene" functions primarily as a noun, referring to a chemical compound. It does not typically shift parts of speech, so the syllabification and stress remain consistent.

8. Definition & Semantics:

  • Definition: A clear, colorless liquid, C₂Cl₄, used primarily as a degreasing solvent.
  • Grammatical Category: Noun
  • Synonyms: Tetrachloroethylene
  • Antonyms: None applicable (it's a specific chemical compound)
  • Examples:
    • "The metal parts were cleaned with perchlorethylene."
    • "Exposure to perchlorethylene can be harmful."

9. Phonological Comparison:

  • Chlorine: chlor-ine /ˈklɔːriːn/ - Similar "chlor-" root, but simpler syllable structure.
  • Ethylene: eth-y-lene /ˈɛθɪliːn/ - Shares the "-ylene" suffix, demonstrating a consistent syllable division pattern.
  • Perchloric: per-chlor-ic /pərˈklɔːrɪk/ - Contains the "per-chlor-" prefix, showing a similar initial syllable division.

Syllable Breakdown Details:

  • per-: /pɜːr/ - Open syllable. Rule: Vowel followed by consonant. Exception: The 'r' is a post-vocalic 'r' which can influence vowel quality.
  • chlor-: /klɔːr/ - Closed syllable. Rule: Vowel followed by consonant cluster. Exception: The 'ch' digraph is treated as a single consonant sound.
  • e-: /ɪ/ - Open syllable. Rule: Single vowel. Exception: Schwa vowel, common in unstressed syllables.
  • thy-: /θiː/ - Open syllable. Rule: Vowel preceded by a consonant cluster. Exception: 'th' digraph is treated as a single consonant sound.
  • lene-: /liːn/ - Open syllable. Rule: Vowel followed by consonant.

Special Considerations:

The "perchlorethylene" word is a compound word, and its syllabification follows the rules for combining morphemes. The stress pattern is somewhat unusual, falling on the fourth syllable rather than the root syllable.

Division Rules Applied:

  1. Vowel-Consonant (VC): Syllables typically end in a vowel sound.
  2. Consonant Cluster: Consonant clusters are generally kept together within a syllable.
  3. Digraphs: Digraphs (like "ch" and "th") are treated as single consonant sounds for syllabification.
  4. Schwa Vowel: Unstressed vowels often reduce to a schwa sound (/ɪ/) and form their own syllable.
Analysis generated by gemma3:27b on 6/11/2025

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