Hyphenation ofwhat-you-may-call-'em

Linguistic Analysis of "what-you-may-call-'em" (US English)

1. Pronunciation Examination:

The word "what-you-may-call-'em" is a colloquial contraction, representing "what you may call them." Its pronunciation is highly variable, influenced by regional accents and speaking rate. A common pronunciation is /wʌt juː meɪ kɔl ʔɛm/. The glottal stop (ʔ) is crucial in representing the elision of the 'th' sound in 'them'.

2. Syllable Division:

Following US English syllabification rules, the division is: what-you-may-call-'em.

3. Morphemic Analysis:

• what: Determiner/Interrogative pronoun. Origin: Old English. Function: Introduces the phrase.
• you: Pronoun. Origin: Old English. Function: Subject of the relative clause.
• may: Modal verb. Origin: Old English. Function: Expresses possibility.
• call: Verb. Origin: Old English. Function: The main verb of the relative clause.
• 'em: Contraction of "them". Pronoun. Origin: Old English. Function: Object of the verb "call".

4. Stress Identification:

The primary stress falls on "call": /wʌt juː meɪ ˈkɔl ʔɛm/.

5. Phonetic Transcription:

/wʌt juː meɪ kɔl ʔɛm/

6. Edge Case Review:

The contraction "'em" presents a unique case. It's a reduced form, and the glottal stop is a common feature in rapid speech. The syllabification of "'em" is somewhat debatable, but treating it as a single syllable is standard given its function as a reduced pronoun.

7. Grammatical Role:

The phrase functions as a noun phrase, often used as a placeholder for something whose name is unknown or unimportant. Syllabification doesn't significantly shift based on grammatical role, as it's a fixed phrase.

8. Definition & Semantics:

• Definition: A colloquial expression used to refer to something when the speaker does not know or cannot remember its name, or does not consider it important to specify.
• Grammatical Category: Noun Phrase
• Synonyms: thingamajig, whatsit, doohickey
• Antonyms: (None directly applicable, as it refers to a lack of specific naming)
• Examples: "Pass me that what-you-may-call-’em over there." "I need to find the what-you-may-call-’em to open the box."

9. Phonological Comparison:

• "what-you-want-to-know": Syllabification: what-you-want-to-know. Similar structure with multiple function words followed by a verb phrase. Stress on "want".
• "how-do-you-do": Syllabification: how-do-you-do. A fixed expression with a similar pattern of function words. Stress on "do".
• "where-you-gonna-go": Syllabification: where-you-gon-na-go. Similar structure with contractions and function words. Stress on "gon".

The key difference is the contraction "'em" in the target word, which simplifies the syllable count and introduces the glottal stop.

Syllable Analysis Details:

• what: /wʌt/ - Open syllable.
• you: /juː/ - Open syllable.
• may: /meɪ/ - Open syllable.
• call: /kɔl/ - Closed syllable, receives primary stress.
• 'em: /ʔɛm/ - Closed syllable, reduced form.

Division Rules Applied:

• Vowel-Consonant-Vowel (VCV): Applied to "may-call" and "you-may". Vowels generally form syllable nuclei.
• Consonant Clusters: Consonant clusters are generally broken after the first consonant if a vowel follows.
• Contraction Syllabification: Contractions are treated as single units when they function as a pronoun.

Special Considerations:

• The pronunciation of "you" can be reduced to /jə/ in rapid speech, potentially affecting syllable boundaries.
• Regional variations in the pronunciation of "call" (e.g., /kæl/) could slightly alter the phonetic transcription.
• The glottal stop in "'em" is a phonetic feature, not an orthographic one, and its presence is dependent on the speaker.