Hyphenation ofself-seekingness

Linguistic Analysis of "self-seekingness" (US English)

1. Pronunciation Examination:

The word "self-seekingness" is a complex word with multiple morphemes. Its pronunciation involves several consonant clusters and vowel sounds typical of English.

2. Syllable Division:

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

self-seek-ing-ness

3. Morphemic Analysis:

• Prefix: self- (Old English) - reflexive pronoun functioning as a prefix, indicating the action is performed by the subject.
• Root: seek (Old English) - to attempt to find or obtain.
• Suffix: -ing (Old English) - progressive/gerundive suffix, forming a verb or noun.
• Suffix: -ness (Old English) - noun-forming suffix, denoting a state or quality.

4. Stress Identification:

The primary stress falls on the second syllable: seek.

5. Phonetic Transcription:

/ˌselfˈsiːkɪŋnəs/

6. Edge Case Review:

The "-ing" suffix can sometimes be a point of ambiguity, but in this case, it clearly attaches to the root "seek" and forms a single syllable. The "ness" suffix is also a straightforward case.

7. Grammatical Role:

"Self-seekingness" functions primarily as a noun. The syllabification and stress remain consistent regardless of its grammatical role.

8. Definition & Semantics:

• Definition: The quality or habit of prioritizing one's own advantage or pleasure.
• Grammatical Category: Noun
• Synonyms: selfishness, egoism, egotism, self-interest
• Antonyms: altruism, selflessness, generosity
• Examples: "His self-seekingness was evident in every decision he made." "The politician was accused of self-seekingness."

9. Phonological Comparison:

• happiness: hap-pi-ness - Similar structure with a root and "-ness" suffix. Stress on the second syllable.
• kindness: kind-ness - Simpler structure, but shares the "-ness" suffix and stress pattern.
• interesting: in-ter-est-ing - Shares the "-ing" suffix, but has a different root and syllable count. Stress on the third syllable.

The differences in syllable count and stress placement are due to the varying lengths and complexities of the roots and prefixes.

Detailed Syllable Analysis:

Division Rules Applied:

1. Vowel Rule: Each syllable generally contains one vowel sound.
2. Consonant Cluster Rule: Consonant clusters are generally kept together within a syllable.
3. Stress Rule: In words of multiple syllables, stress typically falls on the second syllable (though this is not a hard and fast rule).

Special Considerations:

• The compound nature of the word (prefix + root + suffixes) requires careful consideration of morphemic boundaries.
• Regional variations in pronunciation might slightly alter the syllable boundaries, but the overall structure remains consistent.

Alternative Pronunciations/Regional Variations:

Some speakers might slightly reduce the vowel in "self" to /səlf/. This doesn't significantly affect the syllable division.

Short Analysis:

"Self-seekingness" is a four-syllable word (self-seek-ing-ness) with primary stress on the second syllable ("seek"). It's formed from the prefix "self-", the root "seek", and the suffixes "-ing" and "-ness". The syllabification follows standard English vowel and consonant cluster rules.