Hyphenation ofdémocrate-chrétienne

Linguistic Analysis of "démocrate-chrétienne"

1. Examination & Pronunciation:

The word "démocrate-chrétienne" is a compound adjective in French, meaning "Christian Democrat (feminine)". It's formed by combining "démocrate" (democrat) and "chrétienne" (Christian, feminine). The pronunciation involves liaison possibilities depending on the following word in a sentence.

2. Syllable Division:

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

3. Morphemic Analysis:

• Prefix: None
• Root: démocrate - Derived from Ancient Greek dēmokratía (δῆμοκρατία), meaning "rule by the people". Morphological function: Noun, denoting a believer in democracy.
• Suffix: -chrétienne - Derived from Latin Christianus. Morphological function: Adjective, feminine singular, indicating adherence to Christianity.

4. Stress Identification:

In French, stress typically falls on the last syllable of a word or phrase. In this case, the stress falls on "-tienne" of "chrétienne".

5. Phonetic Transcription:

/de.mɔ.kʁat.ʃʁe.tjɛn/

6. Edge Case Review:

The hyphenated structure presents a slight edge case. While each component ("démocrate" and "chrétienne") would be syllabified independently, the compound nature requires considering the overall flow. Liaison is possible between the 'e' of "démocrate" and the 'c' of "chrétienne" in fluent speech, but this doesn't affect the syllabification.

7. Grammatical Role:

The word functions as an adjective. Syllabification and stress remain consistent regardless of its use in a sentence.

8. Definition & Semantics:

• Definition: Relating to or supporting a political ideology that combines democratic principles with Christian values.
• Translation: Christian Democrat (feminine)
• Grammatical Category: Adjective (feminine singular)
• Synonyms: démocrate-chrétien (masculine), social-chrétien
• Antonyms: socialiste, communiste, libéral
• Examples: "une candidate démocrate-chrétienne" (a Christian Democrat candidate); "les valeurs démocrate-chrétiennes" (Christian Democrat values).

9. Phonological Comparison:

• "démocratie" (democracy): dé-mo-cra-tie. Similar syllable structure, stress on the final syllable.
• "chrétien" (Christian, masculine): chré-tien. Similar ending, stress on the final syllable.
• "bureaucrate" (bureaucrat): bu-reau-crate. Similar structure with a root and suffix, stress on the final syllable.

The consistency in stress placement on the final syllable across these words reinforces the general rule in French. The differences in syllable division arise from the varying consonant and vowel combinations within each root and suffix.

Detailed Syllable Breakdown:

Division Rules Applied:

1. Vowel-Based Division: Syllables are generally formed around vowel sounds.
2. Consonant Cluster Rule: Consonant clusters are maintained within a syllable unless they are complex or disrupt the natural flow of pronunciation.

Special Considerations:

• The hyphenated structure requires treating each component as a unit while considering the overall word flow.
• Liaison possibilities don't alter the underlying syllabification.

Short Analysis:

"démocrate-chrétienne" is a compound adjective syllabified into five syllables: dé-mo-crate-chrét-ienne. Stress falls on the final syllable ("tienne"). The word is morphologically composed of the root "démocrate" (Greek origin) and the suffix "chrétienne" (Latin origin). Syllabification follows standard French rules prioritizing vowel sounds and avoiding unnecessary consonant breaks.