Hyphenation ofquasi-comfortable

Analysis of "quasi-comfortable"

1. Pronunciation: The word "quasi-comfortable" is pronounced as /ˈkweɪzi ˈkʌmfərtəbl̩/ in General American English.

2. Syllable Division: The syllable division, adhering to the rule of using only original letters, is: quasi-com-for-ta-ble.

3. Morphemic Analysis:

• Prefix: quasi- (Latin, meaning "as if," "somewhat," or "resembling"). Morphological function: degree modifier.
• Root: comfort- (Old English comfortian, meaning "to strengthen, encourage"). Morphological function: base meaning of ease and well-being.
• Suffix: -able (Old French -able, from Latin -abilis). Morphological function: adjective formation, indicating capability or susceptibility.

4. Stress Identification: The primary stress falls on the first syllable of "comfortable" (/ˈkʌmfərtəbl̩/), making the stressed syllables qua- and for.

5. Phonetic Transcription: /ˈkweɪzi ˈkʌmfərtəbl̩/

6. Edge Case Review: The presence of the prefix "quasi-" introduces a potential complexity. While typically stressed, its stress is often weaker than the primary stress on "comfortable." The final syllable "-ble" is often syllabic, as indicated by the 'l̩' in the IPA transcription.

7. Grammatical Role: "Quasi-comfortable" functions as an adjective. The syllabification and stress remain consistent regardless of its use in a sentence.

8. Definition & Semantics:

• Definition: Somewhat comfortable; appearing or seeming comfortable but not entirely so.
• Grammatical Category: Adjective
• Synonyms: moderately comfortable, partially comfortable, lukewarmly comfortable
• Antonyms: uncomfortable, very comfortable, extremely comfortable
• Examples: "The chair was quasi-comfortable, but I still needed a cushion." "He gave a quasi-comfortable smile, but his eyes betrayed his anxiety."

9. Phonological Comparison:

• Impossible: im-pos-si-ble (4 syllables). Similar structure with a prefix and suffix, but the root is different. Stress falls on the penultimate syllable.
• Uncomfortable: un-com-for-ta-ble (5 syllables). Very similar structure. Stress pattern is also similar, with stress on the first syllable of the root.
• Incredible: in-cred-i-ble (4 syllables). Similar suffix "-able", but different prefix and root. Stress falls on the second syllable.

Syllable Breakdown Details:

• qua-si: Rule: Vowel-consonant-vowel division. The 's' is an intervocalic consonant and thus forms a syllable boundary. Potential exception: The 'qu' digraph is often treated as a single unit, but here, it's divided due to the syllable structure. IPA: /ˈkweɪ.zi/
• com-for: Rule: Vowel-consonant-vowel division. The 'm' and 'f' are intervocalic consonants. IPA: /ˈkɒm.fɔːr/
• ta-ble: Rule: Vowel-consonant-vowel division. The 't' is an intervocalic consonant. The 'l' is syllabic. IPA: /ˈteɪ.bl̩/

Exceptions/Special Cases:

• The 'qu' digraph is often treated as a single unit, but the syllable division follows the vowel-consonant-vowel rule.
• The final syllable "-ble" is often syllabic, indicated by the 'l̩' in the IPA transcription.
• The stress on "quasi" is relatively weak compared to the stress on "comfortable".

Division Rules Applied:

• Vowel-Consonant-Vowel (VCV): This is the primary rule used for dividing syllables, especially within the root word "comfortable."
• Syllabic Consonant: The 'l' in "-ble" becomes syllabic, forming its own syllable.

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