Hyphenation ofdécriminalisâmes

Linguistic Analysis of "décriminalisâmes"

1. Examination & Pronunciation:

The word "décriminalisâmes" is a French verb in the passé simple tense, first-person plural. It's a complex word with multiple morphemes. Pronunciation involves careful attention to liaison and elision rules, as well as the final 's' which is silent.

2. Syllable Division:

Following French syllabification rules, which prioritize vowel sounds and consonant clusters, the word breaks down as follows (using only original letters):

3. Morphemic Analysis:

• dé-: Prefix (Latin origin), meaning "un-", "removal of", or "reversal of". Functions as a negator or intensifier.
• criminal-: Root (Latin crimen - crime), relating to crime or criminal activity.
• -is-: Interfix, connecting the root to the suffix.
• -â-: Suffix (Latin origin), part of the verb ending, indicating the first-person plural past historic.
• -mes: Suffix (Latin origin), indicating the first-person plural past historic.

4. Stress Identification:

In French, stress generally falls on the last syllable of a phrase or a word when it is isolated. However, in this case, the stress is on the penultimate syllable: li.

5. Phonetic Transcription:

/de.kʁi.mi.na.li.z‿am/

6. Edge Case Review:

The 's' at the end of the verb is silent. The liaison between 'li' and 'z' is common in French. The circumflex accent on 'â' indicates a historical 's' that has been elided, influencing pronunciation.

7. Grammatical Role:

"décriminalisâmes" is exclusively a verb form (passé simple, 1st person plural). Syllabification and stress remain consistent regardless of its grammatical function within a sentence.

8. Definition & Semantics:

• Word: décriminalisâmes
• Part of Speech: Verb (passé simple, 1st person plural)
• Definitions:
  • "We decriminalized"
  • "We removed the criminal status from"
• Translation: We decriminalized
• Synonyms: désincriminer (to decriminalize), innocenter (to exonerate)
• Antonyms: criminaliser (to criminalize), condamner (to condemn)
• Examples:
  • "Nous décriminalisâmes la prostitution en 1960." (We decriminalized prostitution in 1960.)
  • "Les législateurs décriminalisâmes certaines drogues douces." (The legislators decriminalized some soft drugs.)

9. Phonological Comparison:

• criminalité (criminality): kʁi.mi.na.li.te - Similar root, but different suffix. Syllable division follows the same vowel-centric pattern.
• décriminaliser (to decriminalize): de.kʁi.mi.na.li.ze - Shares the 'dé-criminal-' portion. Syllable division is consistent, with the final '-ser' forming a separate syllable.
• analysâmes (we analyzed): a.na.li.z‿am - Similar verb ending and liaison. Demonstrates the consistent application of syllabification rules for verb conjugations.

10. Division Rules:

• Rule 1: Vowel-centric Syllabification: Each vowel sound generally forms the nucleus of a syllable.
• Rule 2: Consonant Cluster Division: Consonant clusters are divided based on sonority, with less sonorous consonants tending to attach to the following vowel.
• Rule 3: Liaison: Liaison between words or morphemes can influence perceived syllable boundaries, but doesn't change the orthographic syllable division.

11. Special Considerations:

The circumflex accent on 'â' is a historical marker and doesn't directly affect syllable division, but it's important to note its origin. The silent 's' at the end of the verb doesn't create a syllable.