Hyphenation ofcontre-hermines

Analysis of "contre-hermines"

1. Pronunciation: The word "contre-hermines" is pronounced /kɔ̃tʁ‿ɛʁmin/ in standard French. The liaison between "contre" and "hermines" is common and obligatory in standard pronunciation.

2. Syllable Division: The syllable division, adhering to the rule of maximizing onsets and respecting vowel clusters, is as follows (using only original letters):

3. Morphemic Analysis:

• Prefix: contre- (from Old French contre, ultimately from Latin contra meaning "against"). Function: preposition/prefix indicating opposition.
• Root: hermine (from Old French hermine, ultimately from Latin erminea meaning "ermine"). Function: noun denoting the animal ermine.
• Suffix: -s (French plural marker). Function: indicates plurality.

4. Stress Identification: In French, stress typically falls on the last syllable of a word or a grammatical group. In this case, the stress falls on "-mines".

5. Phonetic Transcription: /kɔ̃tʁ‿ɛʁmin/

6. Edge Case Review: The liaison between "contre" and "hermines" is a crucial aspect of the pronunciation and affects the syllabification. The nasal vowel /ɔ̃/ in "contre" can sometimes be reduced in rapid speech, but the liaison remains.

7. Grammatical Role: "Contre-hermines" functions as a noun, specifically a plural noun. The syllabification and stress remain consistent regardless of its grammatical role.

8. Definition & Semantics:

• Definition: "Contre-hermines" refers to a garment or lining made of a material resembling ermine fur, but of inferior quality or imitation. It can also refer to a pattern resembling ermine spots.
• Translation: Counter-ermines, false ermines.
• Grammatical Category: Noun (feminine plural)
• Synonyms: fausses hermines (false ermines)
• Antonyms: hermines (genuine ermines)
• Examples: "Elle portait une robe ornée de contre-hermines." (She wore a dress adorned with counter-ermines.)

9. Phonological Comparison:

• contre-jour: /kɔ̃tʁʒuʁ/ - con-tre-jour. Syllable division is similar, with a consonant cluster at the beginning of the second syllable.
• contre-attaque: /kɔ̃tʁatak/ - con-tre-at-taque. Similar prefix and consonant clusters.
• hermine: /ɛʁmin/ - her-mine. Demonstrates the basic syllable structure of the root.

Syllable Breakdown Details:

• con-: /kɔ̃/ - Open syllable. Rule: Vowel followed by consonant. Exception: Nasal vowel.
• tre-: /tʁ/ - Closed syllable. Rule: Consonant cluster followed by vowel.
• her-: /ɛʁ/ - Open syllable. Rule: Vowel followed by consonant.
• mi-: /mi/ - Open syllable. Rule: Vowel followed by consonant.
• nes: /n/ - Closed syllable. Rule: Consonant followed by schwa.

Division Rules Applied:

• Maximize Onsets: French favors syllables with consonant onsets whenever possible.
• Vowel Clusters: Vowel clusters are generally broken up to create separate syllables.
• Liaison: Liaison creates a bridge between syllables, affecting pronunciation but not necessarily written syllable division.

Special Considerations:

• The liaison between "contre" and "hermines" is obligatory in standard French and influences the perceived flow of the syllables.
• Nasal vowels can sometimes be challenging to syllabify, but they generally function as the nucleus of a syllable.

Alternative Pronunciations/Regional Variations:

Regional variations in pronunciation might affect the degree of liaison or the realization of certain vowels, but the basic syllable division remains consistent.