Hyphenation ofimpressionnable

Linguistic Analysis of "impressionnable"

1. Pronunciation Examination:

The word "impressionnable" is pronounced /im.pʁɛ.sjɔ̃.nabl/ in standard French. It features nasal vowels and a liaison potential depending on the following word.

2. Syllable Division:

The syllable division, adhering to the rule of maximizing onsets and avoiding stranded consonants, is: im-pres-sion-nab-le.

3. Morphemic Analysis:

• Prefix: im- (Latin in-) - negative prefix, meaning "not" or "un-".
• Root: press- (Latin pressus) - meaning "to press" or "impression".
• Suffix: -ion (Latin -io) - nominalizing suffix, forming a noun from a verb.
• Suffix: -nable (French) - adjectival suffix, meaning "able to be" or "capable of being". Derived from Latin -abilis.

4. Stress Identification:

The primary stress falls on the penultimate syllable: /im.pʁɛ.sjɔ̃.nabl/ - nab. French stress is generally on the final syllable unless overridden by a mute e or other factors. In this case, the final syllable is not a mute e, but the penultimate syllable receives the stress due to the presence of the schwa sound in the final syllable.

5. Phonetic Transcription:

/im.pʁɛ.sjɔ̃.nabl/

6. Edge Case Review:

French syllabification generally avoids leaving consonants stranded at the end of a syllable. The 's' in "impression" is followed by a vowel in "nab", so it naturally joins the preceding syllable. The 'n' in "nab" is part of the nasal vowel /ɔ̃/, which is a common feature in French.

7. Grammatical Role:

"Impressionnable" functions as an adjective. Syllabification and stress remain consistent regardless of its grammatical function within a sentence.

8. Definition & Semantics:

• Definition: Easily impressed; susceptible to influence; gullible.
• Translation: Impressionable
• Grammatical Category: Adjective
• Synonyms: naïf, influençable, sensible
• Antonyms: insensible, indifférent, sceptique
• Examples:
  • "Les enfants sont souvent impressionnables." (Children are often impressionable.)
  • "Il est très impressionnable et croit tout ce qu'on lui dit." (He is very impressionable and believes everything he is told.)

9. Phonological Comparison:

• Comparable Word 1: "responsable" (re-spon-sa-ble) - Similar syllable structure with a final "-able" suffix. Stress falls on the penultimate syllable.
• Comparable Word 2: "passionnable" (pas-sion-na-ble) - Again, the "-able" suffix dictates a similar syllabic pattern and stress.
• Comparable Word 3: "impressionner" (im-pres-sio-ner) - The verb form shares the "im-pres-sion" root, demonstrating consistent syllabification for that portion of the word. The final syllable differs due to the "-er" verb ending.

10. Division Rules:

• Rule 1: Onset Maximization: French prefers to maximize the number of consonants in the onset of a syllable.
• Rule 2: Avoid Stranded Consonants: Consonants are generally not left at the end of a syllable unless they are part of a nasal vowel or a consonant cluster that cannot be broken.
• Rule 3: Vowel Grouping: Vowel groups are generally separated into syllables based on phonological boundaries.

11. Special Considerations:

The nasal vowel /ɔ̃/ in "nab" influences the syllabification, as the 'n' is intrinsically linked to the vowel sound. The prefix "im-" is always a separate syllable.

12. Alternative Pronunciations/Regional Variations:

While standard French pronunciation is as described above, some regional variations might exist in the articulation of the vowels, but these do not significantly alter the syllabification.

13. Short Analysis:

"Impressionnable" is a French adjective meaning "impressionable." It is syllabified as im-pres-sion-nab-le, with stress on the penultimate syllable ("nab"). The word is derived from Latin roots and features a negative prefix, a verb root, and adjectival suffixes. Syllabification follows French rules of onset maximization and avoiding stranded consonants.