Hyphenation ofresigned-looking

Linguistic Analysis of "resigned-looking" (US English)

1. Pronunciation Examination:

The word "resigned-looking" is a compound adjective formed by combining "resigned" and "looking." Its pronunciation reflects this composition, with potential for slight variations in stress and vowel reduction depending on speech rate and regional accent.

2. Syllable Division:

Following US English syllabification rules, the word breaks down as follows (using only original letters):

re-signed-look-ing

3. Morphemic Analysis:

• Prefix: re- (Latin, meaning "again," "back," or "thoroughly"). Morphological function: modifies the verb.
• Root: sign (Latin signare, meaning "to mark, seal, or indicate"). Morphological function: core meaning of giving up.
• Suffix: -ed (English, past tense marker). Morphological function: indicates past tense.
• Root: look (Old English locian, meaning "to see"). Morphological function: core meaning of visual perception.
• Suffix: -ing (English, progressive/gerundive marker). Morphological function: indicates ongoing action or a noun formed from a verb.

4. Stress Identification:

The primary stress falls on the second syllable of "resigned" and the first syllable of "looking".

re-signed-look-ing

5. Phonetic Transcription:

/rɪˈsaɪnd ˈlʊkɪŋ/

6. Edge Case Review:

Compound adjectives can sometimes exhibit varying stress patterns. However, the given stress pattern is the most common and natural in US English. The hyphenated structure reinforces the separation of the two constituent words, influencing the syllabification and stress.

7. Grammatical Role:

"Resigned-looking" functions as an adjective. If "resigned" were to stand alone as a verb (e.g., "He resigned"), the stress would shift to the first syllable: /ˈrɪzaɪnd/. Similarly, "looking" can function as a verb (e.g., "She is looking") with stress on the second syllable: /lʊˈkɪŋ/.

8. Definition & Semantics:

• Definition: Appearing to have accepted something unpleasant or hopeless.
• Grammatical Category: Adjective
• Synonyms: dejected, defeated, hopeless, crestfallen
• Antonyms: optimistic, cheerful, hopeful
• Examples: "He had a resigned-looking expression on his face." "She gave a resigned-looking sigh."

9. Phonological Comparison:

• "decided-looking": de-cid-ed-look-ing. Similar syllable structure, stress on the second syllable of the first word and the first syllable of the second.
• "determined-looking": de-ter-mined-look-ing. Again, similar structure, with stress following the same pattern.
• "disappointed-looking": dis-ap-point-ed-look-ing. This word has more syllables, but the stress pattern remains consistent: stress on the third syllable of the first word and the first syllable of the second.

Syllable Analysis Details:

• re-: /ri/ - Open syllable. Rule: Vowel followed by consonant. Exception: Short vowel sound.
• signed: /saɪnd/ - Closed syllable. Rule: Vowel followed by consonant cluster. Exception: Diphthong.
• look: /lʊk/ - Closed syllable. Rule: Vowel followed by consonant.
• ing: /ɪŋ/ - Closed syllable. Rule: Vowel followed by nasal consonant. Exception: Syllable-final nasal consonant.

Division Rules Applied:

1. Vowel-Consonant (VC): Syllables are often divided after a vowel followed by a consonant (e.g., re-signed).
2. Vowel-Consonant-Consonant (VCC): Syllables are divided before the second consonant when a vowel is followed by two consonants (e.g., look-ing).
3. Diphthong Rule: Diphthongs (vowel combinations) generally stay within the same syllable (e.g., signed).
4. Suffix Rule: Common suffixes like "-ed" and "-ing" are often separated into their own syllables.

Special Considerations:

The hyphen in "resigned-looking" is crucial for accurate syllabification. Without it, the word could be misdivided. The vowel reduction in unstressed syllables (e.g., the 'e' in 'resigned' becoming /ɪ/) is a common phonetic feature of US English.

Alternative Pronunciations/Regional Variations:

Some regional accents might exhibit slight variations in vowel quality or stress placement, but the overall syllabification would remain largely consistent.