Hyphenation ofcontre-passèrent

Analysis of "contre-passèrent"

1. Examination & Pronunciation:

The word "contre-passèrent" is the third-person plural past historic (passé simple) form of the verb "contrepasser" (to counter-pass, to go against). It's a relatively complex word due to the prefix and the past historic conjugation. Pronunciation involves liaison possibilities and vowel elision depending on context.

2. Syllable Division:

Following French syllabification rules, which prioritize vowel sounds and avoid breaking consonant clusters unless they are pronounceable as separate syllables, the division is as follows (using only the original letters):

3. Morphemic Analysis:

• Prefix: contre- (from Old French contre, from Latin contra - meaning 'against'). Morphological function: prepositional prefix modifying the verb.
• Root: pass- (from Old French passer, from Latin passare - meaning 'to pass'). Morphological function: verb stem.
• Suffix: -èrent (from Old French -erent, from Latin -erunt - past historic ending). Morphological function: inflectional suffix indicating 3rd person plural past historic.

4. Stress Identification:

In French, stress generally falls on the last syllable of a phrase or breath group. In this case, the final syllable "-rent" receives the primary stress.

5. Phonetic Transcription:

/kɔ̃tʁ.pa.sɛ.ʁɛ̃/

6. Edge Case Review:

The "contre" prefix can sometimes elide to "cont'" before a vowel, but this doesn't affect the internal syllabification. The "r" sound is a key element in French syllabification, often forming a syllable on its own.

7. Grammatical Role:

"Contre-passèrent" is exclusively a verb form (past historic, 3rd person plural). Syllabification remains consistent regardless of its role within a sentence.

8. Definition & Semantics:

• Definition: To counter-pass; to go against (a move, an action).
• Grammatical Category: Verb (passé simple, 3rd person plural)
• Translation: They counter-passed; They went against.
• Synonyms: s'opposèrent, contrèrent
• Antonyms: acquiescèrent, suivirent
• Examples: "Les joueurs contre-passèrent l'attaque adverse." (The players countered the opponent's attack.)

9. Phonological Comparison:

• "contre-attaquèrent": con-tre-at-ta-què-rent. Similar structure with a prefix and past historic ending. Syllabification follows the same vowel-centric rules.
• "dépassèrent": dé-pas-sè-rent. Similar past historic ending and vowel-based syllabification.
• "repassèrent": re-pas-sè-rent. Again, similar structure and syllabification pattern. The "r" sound creates its own syllable.

Detailed Syllable Analysis:

Exceptions/Special Cases (Word-Level):

The compound nature of the word (prefix + root + suffix) requires careful consideration of morphemic boundaries. However, the syllabification rules are applied consistently based on phonetic structure, not necessarily morphemic boundaries.

Division Rules Applied:

1. Vowel-Centric Rule: Each vowel sound generally forms a syllable.
2. Consonant Cluster Rule: Permissible consonant clusters (like "tr") can remain within a syllable.
3. Final Consonant Rule: A final consonant typically closes a syllable.