Hyphenation ofengourdissaient

Analysis of "engourdissaient"

1. Pronunciation: The word "engourdissaient" is pronounced /ɑ̃.ɡuʁ.di.sɑ̃/ in standard French.

2. Syllable Division: en-gour-dis-sai-ssaient

3. Morphemic Analysis:

• Prefix: en- (Latin in-) - Prefixes the verb to indicate a state or process.
• Root: gourd- (Old French gourde - meaning 'swelling', 'lump') - Related to the idea of being stiff or numb.
• Suffixes:
  • -is- (Latin -esc- becoming -isc- in Old French) - Forms adjectives from nouns or verbs.
  • -sai- (from être - to be) - Auxiliary verb in the imperfect subjunctive.
  • -ssaient (Imperfect Subjunctive ending of être) - Indicates the third-person plural imperfect subjunctive.

4. Stress Identification: The stress in French generally falls on the last syllable of a phrase or breath group. In this case, the stress is on the final syllable: /ɑ̃.ɡuʁ.di.sɑ̃/. However, the stress is not as prominent as in English.

5. Phonetic Transcription: /ɑ̃.ɡuʁ.di.sɑ̃/

6. Syllable Breakdown & Rule Application:

• en- /ɑ̃/ - Open syllable. Rule: Syllables generally end in a vowel sound. No consonant clusters to break the syllable.
• gour- /ɡuʁ/ - Closed syllable. Rule: Consonant clusters are generally broken after the first vowel. The 'r' is a rhotic consonant, creating a closed syllable.
• dis- /di/ - Open syllable. Rule: Syllables generally end in a vowel sound.
• sai- /sɛ/ - Open syllable. Rule: Syllables generally end in a vowel sound.
• ssaient /sɑ̃/ - Closed syllable. Rule: Consonant clusters are generally broken after the first vowel. The 'ss' creates a closed syllable.

7. Exceptions/Special Cases: French syllabification can be complex with nasal vowels and liaison. The nasal vowel /ɑ̃/ in "en" and "ssaient" doesn't affect the syllable division, but it does influence the phonetic realization.

8. Grammatical Role: "Engourdissaient" is the third-person plural imperfect subjunctive of the verb "engourdir" (to numb, to stiffen). The syllabification remains consistent regardless of the verb's tense or mood.

9. Definition & Semantics:

• Definition: To be becoming numb or stiff; to be losing sensitivity.
• Translation: Were becoming numb/stiff.
• Part of Speech: Verb (Imperfect Subjunctive)
• Synonyms: engourdisseaient, se raidissaient
• Antonyms: se réchauffaient, se détendaient
• Examples:
  • "Leurs doigts engourdissaient par le froid." (Their fingers were becoming numb from the cold.)
  • "Les muscles engourdissaient après l'effort." (The muscles were becoming stiff after the effort.)

10. Regional Variations: While the syllabification is generally consistent, some regional accents might slightly alter the pronunciation of vowels, but not the syllable division.

11. Phonological Comparison:

• finissaient (were finishing): fin-is-sai-ent. Similar syllable structure, with a verb ending in -aient.
• commençaient (were beginning): com-men-çai-ent. Similar syllable structure, with a verb ending in -aient.
• regardaient (were looking): re-gar-dai-ent. Similar syllable structure, with a verb ending in -aient.

The consistency in these examples demonstrates the regular application of French syllabification rules, particularly the tendency to break syllables before vowels and after the first consonant in a cluster. The presence of the -aient ending consistently creates a final syllable.