Hyphenation ofslender-shouldered

Linguistic Analysis of "slender-shouldered"

1. Pronunciation: The word "slender-shouldered" is pronounced /ˈslɛndər ˈʃoʊldərd/ in US English.

2. Syllable Division: The syllable division, adhering to the rule of using only original letters, is: slen-der-shoul-dered.

3. Morphemic Analysis:

• Prefix: None
• Root: slender (Old English slendru - meaning thin, lean. Descriptive adjective.)
• Suffix: -shouldered (Old English sculdru + -ed. A past participle used adjectivally, indicating possessing or resembling shoulders. Function: Adjectival formation.)

4. Stress Identification: The primary stress falls on the first syllable of "slender" and the first syllable of "shouldered". This results in a compound stress pattern.

5. Phonetic Transcription: /ˈslɛndər ˈʃoʊldərd/

6. Edge Case Review: Compound words like this can sometimes exhibit variations in stress depending on the speaker and context. However, the given stress pattern is the most common.

7. Grammatical Role: "Slender-shouldered" functions primarily as an adjective. The syllabification and stress remain consistent regardless of its use in a sentence.

8. Definition & Semantics:

• Definition: Having narrow or delicately formed shoulders.
• Grammatical Category: Adjective
• Synonyms: narrow-shouldered, delicately built
• Antonyms: broad-shouldered, robust
• Examples: "The slender-shouldered dancer moved with grace."

9. Phonological Comparison:

• Wonder-worker: won-der-work-er. Similar syllable structure (CVC-CVC-CVC-CVC). Stress pattern is also compound.
• Heart-broken: heart-bro-ken. Similar compound structure. Stress on the first syllable of each component.
• Long-sighted: long-sight-ed. Similar compound structure. Stress on the first syllable of each component.

The differences lie in the specific vowel and consonant sounds within each syllable, but the overall syllable structure and stress patterns are consistent with compound adjectives in English.

Detailed Syllable Analysis:

• Slen: /slɛn/ - Open syllable, ending in a vowel sound. Rule applied: Vowel-C-C syllable division. Potential exception: The 'sl' blend could be considered a complex onset, but is commonly treated as a single unit.
• Der: /dər/ - Closed syllable, ending in a consonant sound. Rule applied: Vowel-C syllable division. Potential exception: None.
• Shoul: /ʃoʊl/ - Open syllable, ending in a vowel sound. Rule applied: Vowel-C-C syllable division. Potential exception: The 'sh' blend could be considered a complex onset, but is commonly treated as a single unit.
• Der: /dər/ - Closed syllable, ending in a consonant sound. Rule applied: Vowel-C syllable division. Potential exception: None.
• Ed: /ərd/ - Closed syllable, ending in a consonant sound. Rule applied: Vowel-C syllable division. Potential exception: None.

Exceptions/Special Cases:

• The compound nature of the word requires consideration of stress patterns across multiple morphemes.
• The presence of consonant blends ('sl', 'sh') doesn't alter the basic syllable division rules, but requires recognizing them as single onset units.

Division Rules Applied:

• Vowel-C Syllable Division: Syllables are typically divided after a vowel followed by a consonant.
• Vowel-C-C Syllable Division: Syllables are typically divided after a vowel followed by two consonants.

Alternative Pronunciations/Regional Variations:

Some speakers might slightly reduce the vowel in the unstressed syllables, but the syllable division remains the same. Regional accents might influence the pronunciation of specific vowels, but not the core syllabification.