Hyphenation ofthorough-cleanse

Thorough-cleanse Syllable Analysis

1. Pronunciation Examination:

The word "thorough-cleanse" is a compound word. "Thorough" is pronounced /ˈθʌr.oʊ/ and "cleanse" is pronounced /kliːnz/. When combined, the pronunciation is /ˈθʌr.oʊ.kliːnz/.

2. Syllable Division:

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

3. Morphemic Analysis:

• thorough:
  • Prefix: None
  • Root: þurh (Old English) - meaning "through" or "completely".
  • Suffix: -ough (historical spelling variation, doesn't have a direct morphological function in modern English)
• cleanse:
  • Root: clean (Old English) - meaning "to make pure".
  • Suffix: -se (verb-forming suffix, indicating causative or transitive action, from Old French –ser).

4. Stress Identification:

The primary stress falls on the first syllable of "thorough": /ˈθʌr.oʊ.kliːnz/.

5. Phonetic Transcription:

/ˈθʌr.oʊ.kliːnz/

6. Syllable Breakdown & Rule Application:

Here's a detailed breakdown of each syllable:

• thorough:
  • tho-rough:
    • IPA: /θoʊ/ - /rʌ/
    • Rule: Vowel-Consonant-Vowel (VCV) - The vowel 'o' followed by the consonant 'r' and then the vowel 'u' creates a syllable break.
    • Exception: The 'ough' combination is a historical spelling anomaly and doesn't follow typical vowel digraph rules.
  • rough:
    • IPA: /rʌ/
    • Rule: Vowel-Consonant (VC) - The vowel 'u' followed by the consonant 'gh' creates a syllable break.
    • Exception: The 'gh' is silent, but the syllable division still applies based on the written form.
• cleanse:
  • clean:
    • IPA: /kliːn/
    • Rule: Consonant-Vowel-Consonant-Vowel (CV-CV) - The vowel 'e' followed by the consonant 'a' and then the vowel 'n' creates a syllable break.
  • se:
    • IPA: /nz/
    • Rule: Vowel-Consonant (VC) - The vowel 'e' followed by the consonant 'n' creates a syllable break.

7. Edge Case Review:

The compound nature of the word doesn't introduce any unusual syllabification challenges. The rules apply independently to each component.

8. Grammatical Role:

"Thorough-cleanse" functions primarily as a verb. The syllabification and stress remain consistent regardless of its grammatical role.

9. Definition & Semantics:

• Definition: To cleanse something completely and thoroughly.
• Grammatical Category: Verb
• Synonyms: Deep-clean, sanitize, purify, scour.
• Antonyms: Soil, contaminate, dirty.
• Examples:
  • "The hospital staff thoroughly-cleansed the operating room before the surgery."
  • "She thoroughly-cleansed her skin to remove all traces of makeup."

10. Alternative Pronunciations/Regional Variations:

There are no significant regional variations in the pronunciation of this word that would affect syllabification.

11. Phonological Comparison:

• heartbreak: heart-break (CV-CVC) - Similar VCV pattern in "heart", but the final syllable is a closed syllable.
• sunbeam: sun-beam (CV-CVC) - Similar CV-CV pattern, but simpler vowel sounds.
• daydream: day-dream (CV-CVC) - Similar CV-CV pattern, but with a diphthong in the first syllable.

The differences in syllable structure arise from the specific vowel and consonant combinations in each word. "Thorough-cleanse" has a more complex vowel digraph ("ough") and a silent consonant ("gh") which influence the syllable division.