Hyphenation ofwhat-you-call-it

Linguistic Analysis of "what-you-call-it" (US English)

1. Pronunciation Examination:

The word "what-you-call-it" is a colloquialism used as a placeholder name when the speaker doesn't know or has forgotten the actual name of something. Its pronunciation varies slightly depending on speech rate and regional accent, but generally follows a fairly consistent pattern.

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: what-you-call-it.

3. Morphemic Analysis:

• what: Determiner/Interrogative Pronoun (Old English origin) - functions as a discourse marker initiating the phrase.
• you: Pronoun (Old English origin) - functions as a subject pronoun.
• call: Verb (Old English origin) - the root of the phrase, denoting naming or identifying.
• it: Pronoun (Old English origin) - refers to the unnamed object.

This is a phrasal construction functioning as a single lexical item, rather than a traditionally morphologically decomposable word. It's a compound nominal.

4. Stress Identification:

The primary stress falls on "call": what-you-call-it. This is due to the lexical prominence of the verb "call" within the phrase.

5. Phonetic Transcription:

/wʌt juː kɔl ɪt/

6. Edge Case Review:

The phrase is relatively straightforward in its syllabification. The main consideration is the rapid articulation often used in colloquial speech, which can lead to vowel reduction (e.g., /juː/ becoming /jə/) and elision of sounds.

7. Grammatical Role:

The phrase functions as a noun phrase, specifically a placeholder noun. The syllabification and stress remain consistent regardless of its function within a sentence.

8. Definition & Semantics:

• Definition: A phrase used to refer to something whose name one does not know or has forgotten.
• Grammatical Category: Noun Phrase
• Synonyms: thingamajig, doohickey, whatsit, thingummy
• Antonyms: (The actual name of the object)
• Examples: "Pass me that… what-you-call-it… the thing for opening bottles."

9. Phonological Comparison:

• "hot-dog-it": hot-dog-it /hɑt dɔɡ ɪt/ - Similar syllable structure, stress on the second element.
• "know-how-to": know-how-to /noʊ haʊ tuː/ - Similar compound structure, stress on the second element.
• "so-so-it": so-so-it /soʊ soʊ ɪt/ - Similar structure with repeated elements, stress on the second element.

The consistent stress pattern on the second element in these phrases highlights a tendency in English to emphasize the core descriptive element within such constructions.

10. Division Rules:

• Onset Maximization: Consonant clusters are kept together at the beginning of syllables (e.g., "what").
• Vowel Nucleus: Each syllable must contain a vowel sound.
• Avoid Stranded Consonants: Consonants are not left at the end of a syllable without a vowel.

11. Special Considerations:

The phrase's colloquial nature means pronunciation and even syllabification can be flexible. However, the provided analysis reflects the most common and linguistically sound breakdown.

12. Alternative Pronunciations/Regional Variations:

Some speakers might reduce the vowel in "you" to /ə/, resulting in /wʌt jə kɔl ɪt/. This doesn't significantly alter the syllabification.

13. Short Analysis:

"what-you-call-it" is a colloquial noun phrase composed of common English words functioning as a placeholder name. It is divided into four syllables: what-you-call-it, with primary stress on "call". The phrase follows standard English syllabification rules, maximizing onsets and ensuring each syllable has a vowel nucleus.