Hyphenation ofsouth-southwesterly

Linguistic Analysis of "south-southwesterly"

1. Pronunciation Examination:

The word "south-southwesterly" is a compound adjective denoting direction. Its pronunciation involves a blend of relatively common English morphemes, but the repetition and length present challenges for syllabification. The pronunciation is generally /ˈsaʊθ ˈsaʊθˌwɛstərli/.

2. Syllable Division:

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

south-south-west-er-ly

3. Morphemic Analysis:

• Prefix: south- (Old English sūð - meaning "south") - Locative prefix indicating direction.
• Root: west- (Old English west - meaning "west") - Directional root.
• Suffix: -erly (Old English -līċ via Middle English -ly - forming adverbs and adjectives) - Adverbial/adjectival suffix indicating direction or manner. The "-er" portion is a derivational morpheme, and "-ly" is an adverbial suffix.

4. Stress Identification:

The primary stress falls on the first syllable of each "south" and on the "west" syllable. The final "-ly" is unstressed. The stress pattern is 1 1 1 0 0.

5. Phonetic Transcription:

/saʊθ saʊθˈwɛstərli/

6. Syllable List with IPA and Rule Explanations:

• south: /saʊθ/ - Closed syllable. Vowel followed by consonant blend. Rule: Consonant clusters are generally maintained within a syllable.
• south: /saʊθ/ - Closed syllable. Vowel followed by consonant blend. Rule: Same as above.
• west: /wɛst/ - Closed syllable. Vowel followed by consonant blend. Rule: Same as above.
• er: /ər/ - Unstressed syllable. Schwa vowel. Rule: Unstressed syllables often reduce to schwa.
• ly: /li/ - Open syllable. Vowel followed by consonant. Rule: Vowels are syllable nuclei.

7. Syllable Division Rules Applied:

• Onset-Rime Principle: Syllables are structured around an onset (initial consonant(s)) and a rime (vowel and any following consonants).
• Vowel Nucleus Rule: Each syllable must contain a vowel sound, which serves as its nucleus.
• Consonant Cluster Rule: Consonant clusters are generally maintained within a syllable unless they are easily separable by pronunciation.
• Compound Word Syllabification: Compound words are often syllabified based on the individual morphemes.

8. Exceptions and Special Cases:

The repetition of "south" is a notable feature. While not an exception, it highlights the compounding nature of the word. The "-erly" suffix is relatively common but can sometimes be pronounced with a more distinct "-er" syllable.

9. Grammatical Role:

The word functions primarily as an adjective. Syllabification and stress remain consistent regardless of grammatical function.

10. Alternative Pronunciations/Regional Variations:

Some speakers might slightly reduce the vowel in the unstressed syllables, but the core syllabification remains the same. Regional accents might influence vowel quality but not syllable boundaries.

11. Phonological Comparison:

• northwesterly: north-west-er-ly - Similar structure, stress pattern, and syllabification.
• northeasterly: north-east-er-ly - Similar structure, stress pattern, and syllabification.
• southwesternly: south-west-ern-ly - Similar structure, stress pattern, and syllabification. The "-ern" vs "-er" variation is a minor difference.