Hyphenation ofsharp-sightedness

Analysis of "sharp-sightedness"

1. Pronunciation: The word is pronounced /ʃɑːrp ˈsaɪtɪd nəs/ (General American English).

2. Syllable Division: sharp-sight-ed-ness

3. Morphemic Analysis:

• Prefix: sharp- (Old English, denoting keenness, acuity) - Adjectival prefix.
• Root: sight- (Old English siht, related to see) - Noun/Verb root, denoting the ability to see.
• Suffix: -ed (Old English -ed) - Past tense/past participle marker, here functioning adjectivally.
• Suffix: -ness (Old English -nes) - Noun-forming suffix, denoting a state or quality.

4. Stress Identification: The primary stress falls on the second syllable: sight.

5. Phonetic Transcription: /ʃɑːrp ˈsaɪtɪd nəs/

6. Edge Case Review: The compound nature of "sharp-sighted" introduces a potential ambiguity. However, the established pronunciation dictates the syllable division as presented.

7. Grammatical Role: The word functions solely as a noun. There are no syllable or stress shifts for other parts of speech.

8. Definition & Semantics:

• Definition: The quality of having keen vision; visual acuity.
• Grammatical Category: Noun
• Synonyms: visual acuity, keenness of vision, farsightedness (in some contexts, though technically different)
• Antonyms: blindness, nearsightedness, poor vision
• Examples: "His sharp-sightedness allowed him to spot the bird from a great distance." "The doctor tested her sharp-sightedness with an eye chart."

9. Phonological Comparison:

• Brightness: bright-ness (/ˈbraɪt nəs/) - Similar suffix -ness. Syllable division follows the same V-C-V pattern.
• Kindness: kind-ness (/ˈkaɪn dənəs/) - Similar suffix -ness. Syllable division follows the same V-C-V pattern.
• Quickness: quick-ness (/ˈkwɪk nəs/) - Similar suffix -ness. Syllable division follows the same V-C-V pattern.
  The consistent application of the V-C-V rule for the -ness suffix demonstrates the regularity of English syllabification.

Detailed Syllable Breakdown:

• sharp: /ʃɑːrp/ - Closed syllable. Rule: Consonant-Vowel-Consonant (CVC) pattern. Exception: The 'r' is a rhotic consonant, influencing vowel quality.
• sight: /saɪt/ - Open syllable. Rule: Vowel-Consonant (VC) pattern. The vowel is long due to the 'i' digraph.
• ed: /ɪd/ - Closed syllable. Rule: Vowel-Consonant (VC) pattern. This is a weak syllable, often reduced.
• ness: /nəs/ - Closed syllable. Rule: Consonant-Vowel-Consonant (CVC) pattern. The vowel is reduced (schwa).

Division Rules Applied:

• V-C-V Rule: When a word has two vowels separated by a single consonant, the consonant usually goes with the second vowel. (sight-ed)
• CVC Rule: Consonant-Vowel-Consonant syllables are typically divided after the vowel. (sharp, ness)
• VC Rule: Vowel-Consonant syllables are divided after the vowel. (ed)

Special Considerations:

• The compound adjective "sharp-sighted" could theoretically be divided as "sharp-sight-ed", but the established pronunciation favors "sharp-sighted".
• Regional variations in vowel pronunciation might slightly alter the phonetic transcription, but not the syllable division.

Alternative Pronunciations/Regional Variations:

While the given pronunciation is standard, some speakers might slightly reduce the vowel in "sharp" to /ɑː/ or /æ/. This wouldn't affect the syllable division.