Hyphenation ofembroussaillées

Analysis of "embroussaillées"

1. Pronunciation: The word "embroussaillées" is pronounced approximately as /ɑ̃.bʁu.saje/. It's a feminine plural past participle used as an adjective.

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

3. Morphemic Analysis:

• Prefix: em- (Latin origin, prefix of inchoative or intensive force, meaning 'in' or 'begin to').
• Root: brousse- (from Old French brosse, ultimately from Latin brusca meaning 'brushwood, thicket').
• Suffix: -ailées (combination of -ail- (from Latin -āre, forming infinitives) and -ées (feminine plural past participle ending). This suffix indicates a passive action performed on the subject.

4. Stress Identification: The primary stress falls on the final syllable: il-ées. French generally stresses the last syllable of a word or phrase.

5. Phonetic Transcription: /ɑ̃.bʁu.saje/

6. Edge Case Review: French syllable structure generally avoids consonant clusters at the end of syllables. However, the /saj/ cluster is permissible, especially in past participles.

7. Grammatical Role: "Embroussaillées" functions as an adjective. As an adjective, the stress remains on the final syllable. If it were used as a noun (which is rare), the stress would likely remain on the final syllable as well.

8. Definition & Semantics:

• Definition: Covered in thickets; overgrown with brushwood.
• Translation: Overgrown, bushy, thicketed.
• Grammatical Category: Adjective (feminine plural past participle used adjectivally).
• Synonyms: broussailleuses, touffues, envahies.
• Antonyms: dégagées, clairsemées.
• Examples: "Les collines embroussaillées étaient difficiles à traverser." (The overgrown hills were difficult to cross.)

9. Phonological Comparison:

• "embroussailler" (to overgrow): em-brou-ssa-il-ler. Similar syllable structure, stress on the final syllable.
• "broussailles" (thickets): brous-sailles. Simpler structure, but shares the brousse- root.
• "caillassées" (stoned): cai-llas-sées. Similar ending in -ées, stress on the final syllable.

Syllable Breakdown Details:

• em-: /ɑ̃/ - Open syllable. Rule: Syllables are formed around vowel nuclei. Exception: The nasal vowel /ɑ̃/ forms a syllable on its own.
• brou-: /bʁu/ - Open syllable. Rule: Consonant followed by vowel.
• ssa-: /sa/ - Open syllable. Rule: Consonant followed by vowel.
• illées-: /je/ - Closed syllable. Rule: Consonant cluster permissible at the end of a syllable, especially in past participles.

Exceptions/Special Cases:

• The nasal vowel /ɑ̃/ in the first syllable is a common feature of French and doesn't significantly alter the syllabification rules.
• The consonant cluster /saj/ is permissible, but could be considered a slight deviation from the typical preference for simpler syllable codas.

Division Rules Applied:

• Maximize Onsets: Each syllable attempts to have a consonant onset when possible.
• Vowel Nucleus: Each syllable must contain a vowel nucleus.
• Avoid Stranded Consonants: Consonants are generally not left isolated between syllables.