Hyphenation ofsupersensitisation

Analysis of "supersensitisation"

1. Pronunciation Examination:

The word "supersensitisation" is pronounced with a primary stress on the fourth syllable. The 's' sounds are alveolar fricatives, the vowels vary in quality, and the 't' and 'n' sounds are alveolar stops and nasals respectively. The final 'ion' creates a complex coda.

2. Syllable Division:

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

su-per-sen-si-ti-sa-tion

3. Morphemic Analysis:

• Prefix: super- (Latin, meaning "above," "over," or "beyond"). Morphological function: intensifier.
• Root: sens- (Latin, from sensus, meaning "feeling," "perception"). Morphological function: core meaning of perceiving.
• Suffix: -itisation (formed from -ise + -ation). -ise (from French -iser, ultimately from Latin -izare) is a verb-forming suffix. -ation (Latin) is a noun-forming suffix, creating a noun of action or process.

4. Stress Identification:

The primary stress falls on the fourth syllable: su-per-sen-si-ti-sa-tion.

5. Phonetic Transcription:

/ˌsuːpə(r)ˌsɛnsɪˌteɪʃən/

6. Edge Case Review:

The sequence "si-ti" can sometimes be debated, but the vowel quality and the presence of the 't' necessitate a separate syllable. The 'r' after 'super' is often elided in casual speech, but it doesn't affect the core syllabification.

7. Grammatical Role:

"Supersensitisation" primarily functions as a noun. While theoretically, one could attempt to use it adjectivally (e.g., "supersensitisation response"), the stress pattern and syllabification remain consistent.

8. Definition & Semantics:

• Definition: Extreme or excessive sensitivity, especially emotional or physical.
• Grammatical Category: Noun
• Synonyms: hypersensitivity, oversensitivity, acute sensitivity
• Antonyms: insensitivity, apathy, indifference
• Examples: "The patient suffered from a severe case of supersensitisation to sunlight." "Her supersensitisation to criticism made it difficult for her to accept feedback."

9. Phonological Comparison:

• civilisation: civ-i-li-sa-tion. Similar structure with a suffix '-ation'. Stress on the third syllable.
• organisation: or-gan-i-sa-tion. Similar structure with a suffix '-ation'. Stress on the third syllable.
• sensitisation: sen-si-ti-sa-tion. The base word, lacking the 'super-' prefix. Stress on the third syllable.

The addition of the 'super-' prefix shifts the stress pattern one syllable to the right, and adds an additional syllable. The syllable structure of the remaining portion of the word remains consistent.

Detailed Syllable Breakdown:

Division Rules Applied:

• Onset-Rime Division: The most fundamental rule, dividing syllables based on the consonant onset and vowel-containing rime.
• Vowel-Based Division: Syllables are generally formed around vowel sounds.
• Consonant Cluster Handling: Consonant clusters are typically maintained within a syllable unless they can be naturally divided.

Special Considerations:

The elision of the 'r' after 'super' is a common phonetic variation but doesn't alter the underlying syllabification. The 'ti' sequence requires careful consideration, but the distinct vowel sound justifies its separation.

Alternative Pronunciations/Regional Variations:

Some speakers might reduce the vowel in 'super' to a schwa, affecting the syllable weight but not the division. Regional accents might also influence vowel quality.