Hyphenation ofunintelligibility

Linguistic Analysis of "unintelligibility"

1. Pronunciation Examination:

The word "unintelligibility" is pronounced /ʌnɪntɛlɪdʒɪˈbɪlɪti/ (US General American). It presents challenges due to its length, multiple morphemes, and complex vowel and consonant clusters.

2. Syllable Division:

The syllable division, adhering to the rule of maximizing onsets (consonant clusters at the beginning of a syllable) and respecting vowel sounds, is as follows: un-in-tel-li-gi-bil-i-ty.

3. Morphemic Analysis:

• Prefix: un- (Old English) - Negation.
• Root: tell (Proto-Germanic) - To know, perceive.
• Suffixes:
  • -ig- (Old English) - Forming adjectives, "full of".
  • -ible- (Latin ibilis) - Capable of, able to be.
  • -ity- (Latin itas) - State or quality of.

4. Stress Identification:

The primary stress falls on the penultimate syllable: /ʌnɪntɛlɪdʒɪˈbɪlɪti/. This follows the general English rule of stressing the second-to-last syllable in words ending in -ity.

5. Phonetic Transcription:

/ʌnɪntɛlɪdʒɪˈbɪlɪti/

6. Edge Case Review:

The sequence /ntɛl/ is a common cluster in English, and the syllable division reflects this. The 'i' before 'bil' is a schwa /ɪ/, and the final 'ity' is a relatively weak syllable.

7. Grammatical Role:

"Unintelligibility" functions solely as a noun. As a noun, the stress pattern remains consistent.

8. Definition & Semantics:

• Definition: The quality of being unintelligible; the state of not being understood.
• Grammatical Category: Noun
• Synonyms: incomprehensibility, obscurity, unfathomability
• Antonyms: clarity, comprehensibility, intelligibility
• Examples: "The patient's unintelligibility made communication difficult." "Due to the poor audio quality, there was a degree of unintelligibility."

9. Phonological Comparison:

• Responsibility: re-spon-si-bil-i-ty. Similar structure with -ibility suffix. Stress on the penultimate syllable.
• Accessibility: ac-ces-si-bil-i-ty. Similar structure with -ibility suffix. Stress on the penultimate syllable.
• Possibility: pos-si-bil-i-ty. Similar structure with -ibility suffix. Stress on the penultimate syllable.

The consistent stress pattern on the penultimate syllable in these words demonstrates the influence of the -ity suffix on stress assignment. The syllable division rules are also consistent across these words, prioritizing maximizing onsets.

Detailed Syllable Analysis:

Division Rules Applied:

1. Maximize Onsets: Consonant clusters are generally assigned to the following vowel (e.g., in, tel, bil).
2. Vowel-Initial Syllables: Syllables beginning with vowels are separated (e.g., un, i).
3. Syllable Weight: Closed syllables (ending in a consonant) are preferred over open syllables (ending in a vowel) when possible.

Special Considerations:

The length of the word and the multiple morphemes contribute to the complexity of the syllable division. However, the rules applied consistently produce a logical and phonologically accurate breakdown.

Alternative Pronunciations/Regional Variations:

While the provided IPA transcription represents General American English, slight variations in vowel quality or stress intensity may occur in different regional dialects. These variations would not significantly alter the syllable division.

Short Analysis:

"Unintelligibility" is a noun with eight syllables divided as un-in-tel-li-gi-bil-i-ty, stressed on the penultimate syllable. It's formed from the prefix 'un-', root 'tell', and suffixes '-ig', '-ible', and '-ity'. Syllable division follows rules maximizing onsets and respecting vowel sounds. It's phonologically similar to words like 'responsibility' and 'accessibility', sharing the -ibility suffix and stress pattern.