Hyphenation ofshort-sightedness

Analysis of "short-sightedness"

1. Pronunciation: The word "short-sightedness" is pronounced as /ʃɔːrt ˈsaɪtɪd.nəs/ in US English.

2. Syllable Division: The syllable division, adhering to the rule of maximizing onsets, is: short-sight-ed-ness.

3. Morphemic Analysis:

• Prefix: short- (Old English, descriptive adjective) - modifies the root, indicating limited range.
• Root: sight (Old English siht - vision) - the core meaning relating to the ability to see.
• Suffix: -ed (Old English - past tense/participle marker, here functioning adjectivally) - forms the past participle, used here to create an adjective.
• Suffix: -ness (Old English nes - noun-forming suffix) - transforms the adjective "sighted" into a noun denoting a state or quality.

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

5. Phonetic Transcription: /ʃɔːrt ˈsaɪtɪd.nəs/

6. Edge Case Review: The combination of "-ed" and "-ness" is relatively common, and the syllabification follows standard patterns. The vowel in "short" can vary slightly between dialects, but doesn't affect the syllabification.

7. Grammatical Role: "short-sightedness" functions primarily as a noun. The syllabification remains consistent regardless of grammatical function, as it's a single lexical item.

8. Definition & Semantics:

• Definition: Lack of foresight; the inability to plan or think beyond the present.
• Grammatical Category: Noun
• Synonyms: myopia, lack of vision, impracticality, narrow-mindedness
• Antonyms: foresight, vision, practicality, broad-mindedness
• Examples: "His short-sightedness led to financial ruin." "The government's short-sightedness on environmental issues will have long-term consequences."

9. Phonological Comparison:

• happiness: hap-pi-ness - Similar suffix structure (-ness). Stress on the second syllable.
• kindness: kind-ness - Simple structure, stress on the first syllable.
• brightness: bright-ness - Similar structure to "short-sightedness" in terms of root + -ness, stress on the first syllable.

The difference in stress placement in "short-sightedness" compared to "happiness" and "kindness" is due to the compound nature of "short-sighted" before the addition of "-ness". The stress falls on "sight" as it's the core element of the adjective.

Detailed Syllable Analysis:

• short: /ʃɔːrt/ - Open syllable, vowel followed by consonant. Syllable division rule: V-C-C. Potential exception: vowel length can vary.
• sight: /saɪt/ - Open syllable, diphthong followed by consonant. Syllable division rule: V-C.
• ed: /ɪd/ - Closed syllable, vowel followed by consonant. Syllable division rule: V-C. Potential exception: can be reduced to /d/ in rapid speech.
• ness: /nəs/ - Closed syllable, consonant followed by vowel. Syllable division rule: C-V.

Division Rules Applied:

• Maximize Onsets: Attempt to include as many consonants as possible in the onset of a syllable.
• Vowel-Consonant Division: When a vowel is followed by a consonant, the syllable is typically divided before the consonant.
• Open vs. Closed Syllables: Syllables ending in a vowel sound are open; those ending in a consonant sound are closed.

Special Considerations:

• The "-ed" suffix can sometimes be syllabified with the preceding vowel, but in this case, it forms a distinct syllable due to the stress pattern and the presence of the following "-ness" suffix.
• Regional variations in vowel pronunciation might slightly alter the phonetic realization, but not the syllabification.