Hyphenation ofpromise-breaking

Linguistic Analysis of "promise-breaking" (English - US)

1. Pronunciation Examination:

The word "promise-breaking" is a compound word formed by combining "promise" and "breaking." Its pronunciation reflects this composition, with potential for varying stress depending on context.

2. Syllable Division:

The syllable division, adhering to the rule of maximizing onsets, is: pro-mise-break-ing.

3. Morphemic Analysis:

• Prefix: None
• Root: promise (Old French promesse - meaning a declaration assuring that one will do something or that a particular thing will happen). Morphological function: Noun.
• Suffix: -breaking (Old English brecan - to shatter, destroy). Morphological function: Present participle acting as an adjective. This suffix is derived from the verb "break" and indicates an ongoing action or a quality.

4. Stress Identification:

The primary stress falls on the second syllable of "promise" and the first syllable of "breaking". Thus, the stress pattern is: pro-mise-break-ing.

5. Phonetic Transcription:

/ˈprɒmɪs ˈbreɪkɪŋ/

6. Edge Case Review:

Compound words can sometimes exhibit flexible stress patterns. However, in this case, the established pronunciation favors the identified stress pattern.

7. Grammatical Role:

"Promise-breaking" functions primarily as an adjective. The syllabification and stress remain consistent regardless of its use in a sentence.

8. Definition & Semantics:

• Definition: Characterized by the act of failing to keep a promise; untrustworthy.
• Grammatical Category: Adjective
• Synonyms: untrustworthy, faithless, unreliable, perfidious
• Antonyms: trustworthy, reliable, faithful, honest
• Examples: "His promise-breaking behavior alienated his friends." "The company was known for its promise-breaking contracts."

9. Phonological Comparison:

• Understanding: un-der-stand-ing (4 syllables) - Similar structure with a compound word. Stress on the second syllable of the first part and the first syllable of the second part.
• Heartbreaking: heart-break-ing (3 syllables) - Similar suffix "-breaking". Stress on the first syllable of the first part and the first syllable of the second part.
• Time-consuming: time-con-sum-ing (4 syllables) - Compound word with similar syllable division principles. Stress on the first syllable of each part.

The differences in syllable count and stress placement are due to the varying lengths and phonetic structures of the root words. "Promise-breaking" has a longer root ("promise") than "heartbreaking" or "time-consuming", influencing the syllable division.

Detailed Syllable Analysis:

• pro: /proʊ/ - Open syllable. Rule: Vowel followed by consonant. Potential exception: The vowel sound can be diphthongized.
• mise: /ˈmɪs/ - Closed syllable. Rule: Vowel followed by consonant cluster. Potential exception: The vowel sound can be reduced in unstressed positions.
• break: /breɪk/ - Open syllable. Rule: Vowel followed by consonant. Potential exception: Diphthong present.
• ing: /ɪŋ/ - Closed syllable. Rule: Vowel followed by nasal consonant cluster. Potential exception: Often functions as a suffix and can be considered a bound morpheme.

Division Rules Applied:

• Onset Maximization: Attempting to include as many consonants as possible in the onset of each syllable.
• Vowel-Consonant Division: Dividing syllables after vowels, especially when followed by consonants.
• Compound Word Syllabification: Treating each component of the compound word as a separate unit for initial syllabification.

Special Considerations:

• The hyphen in "promise-breaking" is a morphological marker indicating a compound word. It doesn't affect the syllabification process but highlights the word's structure.
• Regional variations in pronunciation might slightly alter the vowel sounds, but the core syllable division remains consistent.