Hyphenation ofembroussaillent

Analysis of "embroussaillent"

1. Pronunciation: The word "embroussaillent" is pronounced /ɑ̃.bʁu.saj.jɛ̃/ in standard French.

2. Syllable Division: The syllable division, adhering to the rule of maximizing onsets and avoiding stranded consonants, is: em-brou-ssaillent.

3. Morphemic Analysis:

• Prefix: em- (Latin origin, prefix of inchoative or intensive force, meaning 'in' or 'begin to').
• Root: brouss- (from Old French broisse, related to brosse 'brushwood', indicating a dense, tangled growth).
• Suffix: -aillent (French verbal inflectional suffix, 3rd person plural present indicative of verbs ending in -er).

4. Stress Identification: The stress in French typically falls on the last syllable of a phrase or breath group. In this case, the final syllable "-illent" receives the primary stress.

5. Phonetic Transcription: /ɑ̃.bʁu.saj.jɛ̃/

6. Edge Case Review: French syllabification generally avoids consonant clusters at the beginning of syllables unless they are part of a digraph (like br). The br cluster in "broussaillent" is acceptable. The vowel ou is a diphthong, and is treated as a single syllable unit.

7. Grammatical Role: "Embroussaillent" is the 3rd person plural present indicative of the verb "embroussailler" (to overgrow, to confuse, to entangle). The syllabification remains consistent regardless of the verb's tense or person.

8. Definition & Semantics:

• Definition: To overgrow with brushwood; to confuse or entangle.
• Translation: To overgrow, to confuse, to entangle.
• Grammatical Category: Verb (3rd person plural present indicative)
• Synonyms: encombrer, égarer, obscurcir
• Antonyms: dégager, éclaircir, simplifier
• Examples: "Les ronces embroussaillent le chemin." (The brambles overgrow the path.) "Ses explications embroussaillent les choses." (His explanations confuse things.)

9. Phonological Comparison:

• "embrouiller" (to confuse): em-brou-il-ler. Similar structure, but with a different ending.
• "broussailles" (brushwood): brous-sailles. Shares the root "brouss-", demonstrating consistent syllabification.
• "travaillent" (they work): tra-vaillent. Similar verb ending "-illent", showing consistent stress and syllabification.

10. Syllable Analysis Breakdown:

• em: /ɑ̃/ - Open syllable. Rule: Syllables are formed around vowel nuclei. No consonant cluster to break.
• brou: /bʁu/ - Open syllable. Rule: Maximizing onsets. br is a permissible initial consonant cluster.
• ssa: /saj/ - Open syllable. Rule: Consonant after vowel is assigned to the following syllable.
• illent: /jɛ̃/ - Closed syllable. Rule: Final consonant closes the syllable. Stress falls on this syllable.

11. Division Rules Applied:

• Maximizing Onsets: Consonants are assigned to the following vowel to create onsets whenever possible.
• Vowel Nucleus: Each syllable must contain a vowel nucleus.
• Avoidance of Stranded Consonants: Consonants are not left isolated between syllables.
• Permissible Consonant Clusters: Certain consonant clusters (like br) are allowed at the beginning of syllables.

12. Special Considerations: The nasal vowel /ɑ̃/ in the first syllable is a common feature of French and doesn't affect the syllabification process. The final "-ent" ending of verbs is often pronounced as /ɑ̃/ in spoken French, but the spelling remains consistent.

13. Alternative Pronunciations/Regional Variations: While the standard pronunciation is /ɑ̃.bʁu.saj.jɛ̃/, some regional variations might slightly alter the vowel sounds, but the syllable division remains the same.