Hyphenation ofintelligiblement

Linguistic Analysis of "intelligiblement" (French)

1. Pronunciation:

The word "intelligiblement" is pronounced with a relatively even stress distribution, though the final syllable receives a slight emphasis. The 'g' in 'intelligent' is a soft 'g' sound, as in the English 'genre'. The 'e' at the end of 'ment' is silent.

2. Syllable Division:

Following French syllabification rules, which prioritize vowel sounds, the word breaks down as follows: in-tel-li-gi-ble-ment.

3. Morphemic Analysis:

• Prefix: in- (Latin, meaning 'not', 'un-') - negates the root.
• Root: tellig- (Latin intellegere - 'to understand') - the core meaning of understanding.
• Suffix: -ible (Latin, adjectival suffix meaning 'able to be') - forms an adjective.
• Suffix: -ment (French, adverbial suffix) - transforms the adjective into an adverb.

4. Stress Identification:

The primary stress falls on the penultimate syllable: gi. While French stress is generally weaker than in English, this syllable is slightly more prominent.

5. Phonetic Transcription:

/ɛ̃.tɛ.li.ʒi.blə.mɑ̃/

6. Edge Case Review:

French syllabification generally avoids leaving a single consonant between vowels. This rule is followed here. The liaison between 'ble' and 'ment' is not obligatory in standard pronunciation, but can occur in careful speech.

7. Grammatical Role:

"Intelligiblement" functions exclusively as an adverb. Syllabification and stress remain consistent regardless of its contextual role within a sentence.

8. Definition & Semantics:

• Definition: In a manner that is understandable; comprehensibly.
• Translation: Understandably, intelligibly.
• Grammatical Category: Adverb
• Synonyms: Clairement (clearly), compréhensiblement (comprehensibly)
• Antonyms: Confusément (confusedly), incompréhensiblement (incomprehensibly)
• Examples:
  • "Il s'est exprimé intelligiblement." (He expressed himself understandably.)
  • "Elle a expliqué le problème intelligiblement." (She explained the problem intelligibly.)

9. Phonological Comparison:

• Possiblement: po-si-ble-ment - Similar structure with a prefix, root, and adverbial suffix. Stress on the penultimate syllable.
• Visiblement: vi-zi-ble-ment - Similar structure, stress on the penultimate syllable.
• Logiquement: lo-ʒi-kə-mɑ̃ - Similar structure, stress on the penultimate syllable.

These words all share the same adverbial suffix "-ment" and a similar pattern of stress on the penultimate syllable, demonstrating consistency in French adverb formation.

Syllable Analysis Details:

• in-: /ɛ̃/ - Open syllable, vowel sound. Rule: Vowel onset.
• tel-: /tɛ/ - Closed syllable, consonant ending. Rule: Consonant coda.
• li-: /li/ - Open syllable, vowel onset. Rule: Vowel onset.
• gi-: /ʒi/ - Closed syllable, consonant ending. Rule: Consonant coda. This syllable receives primary stress.
• ble-: /blə/ - Open syllable, vowel onset. Rule: Vowel onset.
• ment-: /mɑ̃/ - Closed syllable, nasal vowel. Rule: Nasal vowel as syllable nucleus.

Division Rules Applied:

1. Vowel Onset: Syllables generally begin with a vowel sound.
2. Consonant Coda: Consonants following vowels within a syllable.
3. Avoid Single Intervocalic Consonant: French avoids leaving a single consonant between vowels.

Special Considerations:

The 'g' in 'intelligent' is pronounced as /ʒ/ (voiced postalveolar fricative), which is a common feature of French orthography. The final 'e' in 'ment' is silent, but influences the pronunciation of the preceding consonant.

Alternative Pronunciations/Regional Variations:

While the standard pronunciation is as described above, some regional variations might exhibit a slightly more pronounced liaison between 'ble' and 'ment'.