Hyphenation ofsecretaries-general

Linguistic Analysis of "secretaries-general" (US English)

1. Pronunciation Examination:

The word "secretaries-general" is a compound noun consisting of "secretaries" (plural of secretary) and "general". It is pronounced /ˌsɛkrəˈtɛriz ˈdʒɛnərəl/. The pronunciation involves a relatively complex sequence of vowels and consonants, and the stress pattern is crucial for intelligibility.

2. Syllable Division:

The syllable division, adhering to the rule of using only the original letters, is: se-cre-ta-ries-gen-er-al.

3. Morphemic Analysis:

• secretaries:
  • Root: secret (Latin secretus - hidden, concealed) - Noun root denoting confidentiality.
  • Suffix: -ary (Latin -arius - relating to) - Forms a noun denoting a person holding a position.
  • Suffix: -ies (English plural marker) - Indicates multiple secretaries.
• general:
  • Root: general (Latin generalis - relating to all) - Noun/Adjective root denoting broad scope or rank.

4. Stress Identification:

The primary stress falls on the third syllable of "secretaries" (/ˈtɛriz/) and the second syllable of "general" (/ˈdʒɛn/). The overall stress pattern is therefore: 0 0 1 0 0 1 0.

5. Phonetic Transcription:

/ˌsɛkrəˈtɛriz ˈdʒɛnərəl/

6. Edge Case Review:

The hyphenated compound nature of the word presents a slight edge case. While each component ("secretaries" and "general") would be syllabified independently, the hyphen necessitates treating them as a single unit for overall stress assignment.

7. Grammatical Role:

The word functions exclusively as a compound noun. There is no shift in syllabification or stress if it were to function as another part of speech, as it is a fixed compound.

8. Definition & Semantics:

• Word: secretaries-general
• Grammatical Category: Noun (compound)
• Definition: The principal administrative officers of an international organization, typically responsible for the day-to-day operations.
• Translation: (N/A - English)
• Synonyms: high-ranking officials, chief administrators
• Antonyms: (None directly applicable)
• Examples:
  • "The secretaries-general of the United Nations addressed the assembly."
  • "A meeting was scheduled between the foreign ministers and the secretaries-general."

9. Phonological Comparison:

• libraries: li-bra-ries /laɪˈbrɛriz/ - Similar vowel structure and final "-ries" suffix. Stress on the second syllable.
• authorities: au-thor-i-ties /ɔːˈθɔrɪtiz/ - Similar "-ties" suffix and stress pattern.
• centuries: cen-tu-ries /ˈsɛnʧuriz/ - Similar "-ries" suffix, but different initial consonant cluster. Stress on the first syllable.

The differences in stress placement are due to the weight of the initial syllables. "Secretaries" has a lighter initial syllable than "authorities" or "centuries", leading to stress shifting towards the middle.

Detailed Syllable Analysis:

Division Rules Applied:

• Onset-Rime Division: The most fundamental rule, dividing syllables based on the consonant onset and vowel-containing rime.
• Vowel-Consonant Division: Syllables are typically divided after a vowel followed by a consonant.
• Consonant Cluster Division: When consonant clusters occur, they are generally maintained within the same syllable.

Special Considerations:

• The compound nature of the word requires considering the syllabification of each component separately before combining them.
• Schwa reduction in unstressed syllables is a common phonetic phenomenon that doesn't affect the orthographic syllable division.

Short Analysis:

"Secretaries-general" is a compound noun syllabified as se-cre-ta-ries-gen-er-al, with primary stress on the third syllable of "secretaries" and the second syllable of "general". It's morphologically composed of the root "secret" with suffixes and the root "general". Syllable division follows standard onset-rime principles, with considerations for schwa reduction and the compound structure.