Hyphenation ofdéfinitionnelles

Linguistic Analysis of "définitionnelles" (French)

1. Examination & Pronunciation:

The word "définitionnelles" is a French adjective meaning "definitional." It's a relatively complex word, built upon the root "définition" with a feminine plural suffix. Pronunciation involves careful attention to liaison and elision possibilities, but for the core syllabification, we focus on the orthographic structure.

2. Syllable Division:

Following French syllabification rules, which prioritize vowel sounds and avoid breaking consonant clusters unless they are complex and involve a sonorant consonant, the word divides as follows (see JSON output for the orthographic representation).

3. Morphemic Analysis:

• Prefix: dé- (Latin de- meaning "from, down from, away from"). Function: modifies the verb/noun.
• Root: fin- (Latin finis meaning "end, limit"). Function: core meaning related to ending or defining.
• Interfix: -i- (connects the root to the suffix)
• Suffix: -tion- (Latin -tio). Function: nominalizing suffix, creating a noun from a verb.
• Suffix: -nelle- (French suffix). Function: Adjectival suffix, forming an adjective from a noun.
• Suffix: -s- (French suffix). Function: Feminine plural marker.

4. Stress Identification:

In French, stress typically falls on the last syllable of a word or phrase. In this case, the final syllable "-nelles" receives the primary stress.

5. Phonetic Transcription:

/de.fi.ni.sjɔ̃.nɛl/

6. Edge Case Review:

The sequence "tion" is a common source of syllabification questions. However, in French, "tion" is generally treated as a single syllable unit, especially when followed by another syllable. The "sj" sound is a palatalized consonant cluster, common in French.

7. Grammatical Role:

"Définitionnelles" is primarily an adjective. As an adjective, the stress pattern remains consistent. If it were used as a noun (though rare), the stress would still likely fall on the final syllable.

8. Definition & Semantics:

• Definition: Relating to or characteristic of definition; definitional.
• Translation: Definitional
• Grammatical Category: Adjective (feminine plural)
• Synonyms: définissantes, caractérisant la définition
• Antonyms: indéfinies, vagues
• Examples: "Les caractéristiques définitionnelles de ce concept sont claires." (The definitional characteristics of this concept are clear.)

9. Phonological Comparison:

• "conditionnelles" (conditional): con-di-tion-nelles. Similar syllable structure, stress on the final syllable.
• "informationnelles" (informational): in-for-ma-tion-nelles. Similar syllable structure, stress on the final syllable.
• "nationnelles" (national): na-tion-nelles. Similar syllable structure, stress on the final syllable.

The consistency in stress placement and syllable structure across these words reinforces the typical French stress pattern and syllabification rules. The presence of "-nelles" consistently marks the final stressed syllable.

10. Division Rules:

• Rule 1: Vowel-Based Syllabification: Each vowel sound generally forms the nucleus of a syllable.
• Rule 2: Consonant Cluster Handling: Consonant clusters are generally kept together within a syllable unless they are complex and contain a sonorant consonant.
• Rule 3: Final Syllable Stress: Stress typically falls on the final syllable of a word.
• Rule 4: "tion" as a Unit: The sequence "tion" is often treated as a single syllable unit.

11. Special Considerations:

The word's length and the presence of multiple suffixes require careful application of the rules. The "sj" sound is a palatalization that doesn't directly impact syllabification but is important for pronunciation.