Hyphenation ofsuperirritability

Linguistic Analysis of "superirritability"

1. Pronunciation Examination:

The word "superirritability" is pronounced with a primary stress on the fifth syllable ("-bil-"). The pronunciation involves a blend of Latinate prefixes and roots with typical English vowel and consonant sounds.

2. Syllable Division:

Following English syllabification rules, the word breaks down as follows (using only original letters): su-per-ir-rit-a-bil-i-ty

3. Morphemic Analysis:

• Prefix: super- (Latin, meaning "above," "over," or "excessively") - intensifier.
• Root: irrit- (Latin irritare, meaning "to provoke," "to excite," "to anger") - core meaning of annoyance.
• Suffix: -ability (French/Latin –abilitas, English -ability) - denotes the capacity or quality of being.

4. Stress Identification:

The primary stress falls on the fifth syllable: su-per-ir-rit-a-bil-i-ty. This is consistent with the tendency to stress penultimate syllables in words with suffixes like -ability.

5. Phonetic Transcription:

/ˌsuːpərɪrɪtəˈbɪlɪti/

6. Edge Case Review:

The sequence "irrit" could potentially be analyzed as a single morpheme, but separating it into "ir-rit" aligns better with typical syllabification patterns and morphemic boundaries. The 'r' sound following the vowel in "irrit" creates a closed syllable.

7. Grammatical Role:

"Superirritability" functions primarily as a noun. Syllabification and stress remain consistent regardless of grammatical function, as it is not inflected.

8. Definition & Semantics:

• Definition: The state or quality of being excessively or unusually irritable.
• Grammatical Category: Noun
• Synonyms: hypersensitivity, testiness, impatience, exasperation
• Antonyms: calmness, composure, patience, equanimity
• Example Usage: "His superirritability made him difficult to work with."

9. Phonological Comparison:

• Similarity 1: "responsibility": re-spon-si-bil-i-ty. Both words share the "-bility" suffix and exhibit similar stress patterns (penultimate syllable).
• Similarity 2: "possibility": pos-si-bil-i-ty. Similar to "responsibility", the "-bility" suffix dictates stress and syllabification.
• Similarity 3: "irresponsibility": ir-re-spon-si-bil-i-ty. This word demonstrates the "ir-" prefix, similar to "superirritability", and shares the "-bility" suffix, resulting in comparable syllabification. The addition of the "re-" syllable in "irresponsibility" is a clear difference.

Detailed Syllable Analysis:

Syllable Division Rules Applied:

1. Vowel-Consonant (VC) Rule: Syllables are often divided before a consonant that follows a vowel (e.g., su-per, ir-rit).
2. Vowel-Consonant Cluster (VCC) Rule: Syllables are divided before consonant clusters following a vowel (e.g., per-, bil-).
3. Vowel-Vowel (VV) Rule: When two vowels appear together, they are typically separated into different syllables (not applicable here).

Special Considerations:

The word's length and complex morphology require careful consideration of morphemic boundaries when determining syllable divisions. The stress pattern is typical for English words ending in "-ability".

Alternative Pronunciations/Regional Variations:

While the provided IPA transcription represents the most common pronunciation in US English, slight variations in vowel quality or stress intensity may occur depending on regional accents. These variations would not significantly alter the syllable division.