Hyphenation ofempoissonnassiez

Analysis of "empoissonnassiez" (French)

1. Pronunciation & Initial Examination:

The word "empoissonnassiez" is the second-person plural imperfect subjunctive of the verb "empoisonner" (to poison). It's a complex verb form with multiple morphemes. The pronunciation involves nasal vowels and a series of consonant clusters.

2. Syllable Division:

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

3. Morphemic Analysis:

• Prefix: em- (Latin origin, intensifying prefix, similar to en- in English)
• Root: poisson- (from poisson - fish, but here functioning as the base for 'poison', Latin origin piscium)
• Suffix: -n- (infix, part of the verb stem formation, indicating the causative/factitive aspect)
• Suffix: -ass- (from the third-person plural imperfect ending, indicating the imperfect tense)
• Suffix: -iez (second-person plural imperfect subjunctive ending)

4. Stress Identification:

In French, stress generally falls on the last syllable of a phrase or breath group. In this case, the last syllable, "-iez", receives the primary stress.

5. Phonetic Transcription:

/ɑ̃.pwa.zɔ.na.sje/

6. Syllable Breakdown & Rule Application:

Here's a detailed breakdown of each syllable, with IPA transcription, rule application, and potential exceptions:

• em-: /ɑ̃/ - Open syllable. Rule: Syllables are formed around vowel sounds. No consonant clusters to break. Exception: None.
• poi-: /pwa/ - Open syllable. Rule: Vowel 'o' followed by 'i' creates a diphthong, forming a syllable. Exception: None.
• sson-: /sɔ/ - Closed syllable. Rule: Consonant cluster 'ss' is treated as a single onset. The vowel 'o' forms the nucleus. Exception: The 'ss' cluster is common in French and doesn't typically break.
• na-: /na/ - Open syllable. Rule: Vowel 'a' forms the nucleus. Exception: None.
• ssiez: /sje/ - Closed syllable. Rule: Consonant cluster 'ss' is treated as a single onset. The vowel 'ie' forms the nucleus. Exception: The 'ss' cluster is common in French and doesn't typically break.

7. Edge Case Review:

The 'ss' cluster is a common feature in French and doesn't usually lead to syllable separation. The nasal vowel /ɑ̃/ in the first syllable is also standard. The imperfect subjunctive ending "-iez" is a relatively stable unit.

8. Grammatical Role:

The word is exclusively a verb form. Syllabification doesn't change based on grammatical role, as it's a conjugated verb.

9. Definition & Semantics:

• Word: empoissonnassiez
• Translation: you (plural, formal/polite) would poison
• Part of Speech: Verb (Imperfect Subjunctive)
• Synonyms: (in the context of poisoning) contaminiez, empoisonneriez
• Antonyms: guérissiez (you would heal)
• Examples: "Si vous aviez su qu'il était empoisonné, qu'auriez-vous fait ? - Nous l'aurions empoissonnassiez." (If you had known he was poisoned, what would you have done? - We would have poisoned him.)

10. Alternative Pronunciations/Regional Variations:

There are minimal regional variations in the pronunciation of this word. Some speakers might slightly reduce the vowel sounds, but the syllabification remains consistent.

11. Phonological Comparison:

• poisonneriez: em-poi-son-ne-riez (similar structure, stress on the last syllable)
• empoisonnait: em-poi-son-nait (similar structure, stress on the last syllable)
• empoisonner: em-poi-son-ner (similar structure, stress on the last syllable)

The syllable division is consistent across these related forms. The presence of the 'ss' cluster and the vowel combinations ('oi', 'ie') are handled similarly in each case. The key difference lies in the final suffix, which dictates the stress and overall pronunciation.