Hyphenation ofintellectuelles

Linguistic Analysis of "intellectuelles" (French)

1. Examination & Pronunciation:

The word "intellectuelles" is a feminine plural adjective or noun meaning "intellectuals" or "intellectual women." Its pronunciation follows standard French phonological rules, including liaison possibilities and vowel elision.

2. Syllable Division:

The syllable division, adhering to the rule of maximizing onsets and respecting vowel clusters, is as follows (using only the original letters):

3. Morphemic Analysis:

• Prefix: in- (Latin in- meaning "not" or "into"). Though historically a prefix, it's fully integrated into the root in modern French.
• Root: tel- (Latin intellectus meaning "understanding, intellect").
• Suffix: -lect- (Latin root relating to choosing, selecting, understanding)
• Suffix: -uelles (French feminine plural adjectival/nominal suffix, derived from Latin -ellus). This suffix indicates gender and number.

4. Stress Identification:

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

5. Phonetic Transcription:

/ɛ̃.tɛ.lɛk.tɥɛl/

6. Edge Case Review:

French syllabification generally avoids leaving a single consonant as the onset of a syllable. This is observed in the division of "lec" and "tuel".

7. Grammatical Role:

The word can function as both a noun (intellectuals) and an adjective (intellectual women). The syllabification remains consistent regardless of the grammatical role.

8. Definition & Semantics:

• Definition: Individuals who engage in complex mental activities, such as reasoning, analysis, and contemplation.
• Translation: Intellectuals
• Grammatical Category: Noun (feminine plural) / Adjective (feminine plural)
• Synonyms: penseurs (thinkers), érudits (scholars)
• Antonyms: ignorants (ignorant people), inintelligents (unintelligent people)
• Examples: "Les intellectuelles ont pris position sur la question." (The intellectuals took a stand on the issue.)

9. Phonological Comparison:

• "intellectuel" (masculine singular): in-tel-lec-tuel. Syllabification is similar, but the final syllable is singular.
• "difficiles" (difficult): dif-fi-ciles. Similar vowel-consonant structure, stress on the final syllable.
• "particulières" (particular): par-ti-cu-liè-res. Demonstrates the typical French pattern of final syllable stress and vowel elision.

Detailed Syllable Analysis:

• in-: /ɛ̃/ - Open syllable. Rule: Syllables are formed around vowel nuclei. Exception: The 'n' is nasalized due to the following vowel.
• tel-: /tɛl/ - Open syllable. Rule: Consonant-Vowel structure.
• lec-: /lɛk/ - Closed syllable. Rule: Maximizing onsets; 'l' forms the onset of this syllable. Exception: The 'c' is soft before 'e'.
• tuel-: /tɥɛl/ - Closed syllable. Rule: Maximizing onsets; 't' forms the onset. Exception: 'ue' forms a diphthong.
• les-: /lɛ/ - Closed syllable. Rule: Final syllable, receives stress.

Division Rules Applied:

1. Maximize Onsets: Consonants are generally assigned to the following vowel to create an onset.
2. Vowel Nucleus: Each syllable must contain a vowel nucleus.
3. Avoid Single-Consonant Onsets: Consonants are grouped to avoid single-consonant onsets where possible.

Special Considerations:

The nasal vowel /ɛ̃/ in the first syllable is a characteristic feature of French phonology and influences the syllabification. The liaison possibilities with preceding words are not considered in the internal syllabification of the word itself.

Alternative Pronunciations/Regional Variations:

While the standard pronunciation is as transcribed, some regional variations might exist in vowel quality or the degree of liaison. These variations would not significantly alter the core syllabification.