Hyphenation ofwhat-d'ye-call-'em

Linguistic Analysis of "what-d'ye-call-'em" (English - US)

This analysis focuses on the colloquial phrase "what-d'ye-call-'em," a contraction frequently used to refer to something whose name is unknown or forgotten.

1. IPA Transcription:

/wʌt dja kɔl ʔɛm/ or /wɑt dja kɔl ʔɛm/ (variation in vowel quality of 'what' is common)

2. Morphemic Breakdown:

• what: Root. Origin: Old English hwæt (interrogative pronoun). Morphological function: Interrogative pronoun initiating the phrase.
• d'ye: Contraction of "do you". Origin: Old English dū (do) + ġē (you). Morphological function: Auxiliary verb + pronoun, forming a question.
• call: Root. Origin: Old Norse kalla. Morphological function: Verb, indicating naming or identifying.
• 'em: Contraction of "them". Origin: Old English þām. Morphological function: Pronoun, referring to the unnamed object.

3. Stressed Syllable(s):

The primary stress falls on 'call'.

4. Syllables List with IPA and Rule Explanations:

• what: /wʌt/ - Open syllable. Rule: Vowel followed by consonant(s). Exception: The 'wh' digraph is treated as a single consonant sound in this context.
• d'ye: /dja/ - Closed syllable. Rule: Consonant followed by vowel and consonant. The apostrophe indicates elision of 'o' in 'do'.
• call: /kɔl/ - Closed syllable. Rule: Consonant followed by vowel and consonant.
• 'em: /ʔɛm/ - Closed syllable. Rule: Glottal stop (represented by ʔ) followed by vowel and consonant. The apostrophe indicates elision of 'th' in 'them'.

5. Syllable Division Rule Explanations:

• Vowel-Consonant-Consonant (VCC): Applies to 'call' (/kɔl/). The vowel is followed by two consonants, creating a closed syllable.
• Consonant-Vowel-Consonant (CVC): Applies to 'd'ye' (/dja/) and 'em' (/ʔɛm/). A consonant is followed by a vowel and then another consonant.
• Open Syllable (CV): Applies to 'what' (/wʌt/). The vowel is the final sound of the syllable.
• Elision: The apostrophes in 'd'ye' and 'em' indicate the omission of sounds ('o' and 'th' respectively) during rapid speech, a common feature of contractions.

6. Potential Exceptions/Special Cases:

• The pronunciation of 'what' can vary between /wʌt/ and /wɑt/ depending on regional accent. This doesn't affect syllable division.
• The glottal stop in 'em' is a phonetic realization and doesn't change the orthographic syllable division.

7. Exceptions for the Word as a Whole:

The entire phrase is an exception to standard word formation rules, being a colloquial contraction. Syllabification relies on recognizing the underlying words within the contraction.

8. Grammatical Role & Syllabification Shifts:

This phrase functions as a determiner or a noun phrase. Syllabification doesn't shift based on grammatical role, as it's already a fixed phrase.

9. Definition & Semantics:

• Definition: Used to refer to something whose name one does not know or has forgotten.
• Grammatical Category: Determiner/Noun Phrase
• Synonyms: thingamajig, whatsit, doohickey
• Examples: "Pass me that what-d'ye-call-'em over there." "I need the what-d'ye-call-'em to open this jar."

10. Alternative Pronunciations/Regional Variations:

As mentioned, the vowel in 'what' can vary. Regional accents might also influence the degree of elision in the contractions. These variations don't fundamentally alter the syllable division.

11. Phonological Comparison:

• "button": but-ton (CVC-CVC). Similar CVC structure in 'd'ye' and 'call'.
• "water": wa-ter (CV-CVC). Similar open syllable structure in 'what'.
• "them": them (CVC). Similar CVC structure in 'em'.

The consistency lies in the application of CVC and CV syllable division rules. The glottal stop in 'em' is a unique feature due to the contraction and elision.