Hyphenation oftriskaidekaphobes

Linguistic Analysis of "triskaidekaphobes"

1. Pronunciation Examination:

The word "triskaidekaphobes" is pronounced /ˌtrɪskəˌdeɪdəˈfoʊbz/ in US English. It's a complex word with multiple morphemes and a relatively uncommon structure.

2. Syllable Division:

The syllable division, adhering to the rule of maximizing onsets (consonant clusters at the beginning of a syllable) and avoiding stranded consonants, is as follows:

3. Morphemic Analysis:

• Prefix: tris- (Latin, meaning "three")
• Root: kai-deka- (Greek, kai meaning "and", deka meaning "ten", thus "thirteen")
• Suffix: -phobes (Greek, phobos meaning "fear", combined with the English plural suffix -s)

4. Stress Identification:

The primary stress falls on the penultimate syllable: /ˌtrɪskəˌdeɪdəˈfoʊbz/.

5. Phonetic Transcription:

/ˌtrɪskəˌdeɪdəˈfoʊbz/

6. Syllable Breakdown & Rule Application:

Here's a detailed breakdown of each syllable, with IPA transcription, rule application, and potential exceptions:

• tri-: /traɪ/ - Open syllable. Rule: Vowel followed by consonant(s) typically forms an open syllable. No exceptions.
• ska-: /skə/ - Closed syllable. Rule: Consonant cluster followed by vowel. Maximizing onsets. No exceptions.
• de-: /də/ - Open syllable. Rule: Vowel followed by consonant. No exceptions.
• ka-: /kə/ - Open syllable. Rule: Vowel followed by consonant. No exceptions.
• pho-: /foʊ/ - Open syllable. Rule: Vowel followed by consonant. No exceptions.
• bes: /bz/ - Closed syllable. Rule: Vowel followed by consonant cluster. Maximizing onsets. No exceptions.

7. Edge Case Review:

The word's length and complex morphology present a challenge. The sequence "sk" and "de" are common consonant clusters in English, making the syllabification relatively straightforward.

8. Grammatical Role:

The word functions exclusively as a noun (plural). Syllabification and stress remain consistent regardless of grammatical context, as it's not inflected.

9. Definition & Semantics:

• Definition: People who fear the number thirteen.
• Grammatical Category: Noun (plural)
• Synonyms: None readily available; it's a very specific phobia.
• Antonyms: None applicable.
• Examples: "The triskaidekaphobes refused to stay on the thirteenth floor of the hotel."

10. Alternative Pronunciations/Regional Variations:

Pronunciation is fairly standardized. Some speakers might slightly reduce the vowel in the unstressed syllables, but this doesn't affect the syllable division.

11. Phonological Comparison:

• photographs: pho-to-graphs. Similar onset cluster "ph-". Stress pattern differs.
• psychology: psy-cho-lo-gy. Similar complex morphology and vowel sounds. Stress pattern differs.
• kaleidoscope: ka-lei-do-scope. Similar Greek-derived root elements. Stress pattern differs.

The differences in stress patterns are due to the varying length and morphological structure of each word. "Triskaidekaphobes" has a more even distribution of syllables, leading to a different stress placement.