Hyphenation ofincompréhensifs

Linguistic Analysis of "incompréhensifs" (French)

1. Pronunciation & Initial Examination:

The word "incompréhensifs" is a French adjective meaning "incomprehensible" (masculine plural). It's a relatively complex word, built from several morphemes. Pronunciation involves nasal vowels and liaison possibilities.

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 original letters):

3. Morphemic Analysis:

• Prefix: in- (Latin in-) - negation, making the word mean "not comprehensible".
• Root: compréhen- (Latin comprehendere) - to grasp, understand.
• Suffix: -sifs (French) - adjectival suffix forming the masculine plural. This suffix is derived from the Latin -sivus.

4. Stress Identification:

In French, stress typically falls on the last syllable of a word or phrase. In this case, the stress falls on "-sifs".

5. Phonetic Transcription:

/ɛ̃.kɔ̃.pʁe.ɑ̃.si/

6. Edge Case Review:

The sequence "pr" is a common initial consonant cluster in French and doesn't typically cause syllabification issues. The nasal vowels /ɛ̃/ and /ɔ̃/ are standard in French and are treated as single vowel sounds for syllabification purposes.

7. Grammatical Role:

"Incompréhensifs" is primarily an adjective. As an adjective, the stress pattern remains consistent. It can also function as a noun (rarely, referring to incomprehensible things), but the syllabification and stress remain unchanged.

8. Definition & Semantics:

• Definition: Not capable of being understood; unintelligible.
• Translation: Incomprehensible
• Grammatical Category: Adjective (masculine plural)
• Synonyms: impénétrables, incompréhensibles, obscurs
• Antonyms: compréhensibles, clairs, faciles
• Examples:
  • "Ses explications étaient incompréhensibles." (His explanations were incomprehensible.)
  • "Les concepts de physique quantique sont souvent incompréhensifs pour les non-initiés." (The concepts of quantum physics are often incomprehensible to those unfamiliar with the subject.)

9. Phonological Comparison:

• compréhensible: /kɔ̃.pʁe.ɑ̃.si.bl/ - Syllables: co-mpré-hen-si-ble. Similar structure, with the addition of the "-ble" suffix. Stress remains on the final syllable.
• incompréhensible: /ɛ̃.kɔ̃.pʁe.ɑ̃.si.bl/ - Syllables: in-com-pré-hen-si-ble. The addition of the "in-" prefix simply adds a syllable at the beginning. Stress remains on the final syllable.
• responsifs: /ʁɛ.sɔ̃.sif/ - Syllables: re-spon-sifs. Similar suffix "-sifs", but a different root. Stress on the final syllable.

10. Division Rules:

• Rule 1: Vowel-Based Division: Syllables are generally formed around vowel sounds. (Applied throughout the word)
• Rule 2: Consonant Cluster Handling: Consonant clusters are kept together unless they can be easily separated into pronounceable syllables. (Applied to "pr" in "compréhensifs")
• Rule 3: Final Syllable Stress: Stress typically falls on the final syllable in French. (Influences the perception of syllable boundaries)

11. Special Considerations:

The nasal vowels /ɛ̃/ and /ɔ̃/ are treated as single vowel sounds for syllabification, even though they are formed by a vowel followed by a nasal consonant. The "in-" prefix is always a separate syllable.

12. Alternative Pronunciations/Regional Variations:

While the standard pronunciation is as transcribed, some regional variations might exist in the articulation of nasal vowels, but these do not affect the syllabification.

13. Short Analysis:

"Incompréhensifs" is a French adjective meaning "incomprehensible." It's divided into five syllables: in-com-pré-hen-sifs, with stress on the final syllable. The word is built from the prefix "in-", the root "compréhen-", and the suffix "-sifs". Syllabification follows vowel-based rules and avoids breaking consonant clusters.