Hyphenation ofintervertissent

Analysis of "intervertissent"

1. Examination & Pronunciation:

The word "intervertissent" is the third-person plural imperfect subjunctive of the verb "intervertir" (to invert, to reverse). Its pronunciation involves a complex interplay of vowel sounds, nasal consonants, and liaison possibilities.

2. Syllable Division:

Following French syllabification rules, the word breaks down as follows (using only the original letters):

3. Morphemic Analysis:

• Prefix: inter- (Latin, meaning "between," "among," "reciprocally") - modifies the verb's meaning.
• Root: vert- (Latin vertere, meaning "to turn") - the core meaning of the verb.
• Suffix: -issent (French, imperfect subjunctive ending) - indicates tense, mood, and person/number. This is composed of -i- (imperfect tense marker) + -ss- (third-person plural marker) + -ent (subjunctive mood marker).

4. Stress Identification:

In French, stress generally falls on the last syllable of a phrase or breath group. However, within a word, stress is less prominent than in English. In this case, the stress falls on the final syllable: "-sent".

5. Phonetic Transcription:

/ɛ̃.tɛʁ.vɛʁ.tis.sɑ̃/

6. Edge Case Review:

The sequence "rt" can sometimes pose a challenge, but in this case, it's clearly separated by the vowel "e". The nasal vowel /ɑ̃/ in the final syllable is a common feature of French.

7. Grammatical Role:

As the imperfect subjunctive, the syllabification and stress remain consistent regardless of its function within a sentence.

8. Definition & Semantics:

• Definition: To be inverting, to be reversing (in the imperfect subjunctive mood).
• Part of Speech: Verb (imperfect subjunctive, third-person plural)
• Translation: They would invert, they were to invert, they might invert.
• Synonyms: renverseraient, inverseraient (conditional mood equivalents)
• Antonyms: maintenaient, conservaient (to maintain, to preserve)
• Examples:
  • "S'ils avaient plus de temps, ils intervertissent les rôles." (If they had more time, they would reverse the roles.)
  • "Je souhaitais qu'ils intervertissent leurs opinions." (I wished they would exchange their opinions.)

9. Phonological Comparison:

• divertissement: di-ver-tis-se-ment - Similar syllable structure, with consonant clusters.
• convertir: con-ver-tir - Shares the "-vert-" root, demonstrating consistent syllabification.
• observer: ob-ser-ver - Similar vowel patterns and consonant clusters.

The differences in syllable division arise from the prefixes and suffixes attached to the root. "intervertissent" has a longer prefix and a more complex suffix than the other words, leading to a greater number of syllables.

10. Division Rules:

• Rule 1: Vowel-Consonant Division: Syllables are typically divided between vowels and consonants (e.g., in-ter-ver-tis-sent).
• Rule 2: Consonant Cluster Division: When consonant clusters occur, they are often split if a vowel can be inserted between them without altering the pronunciation (e.g., ver-tis-sent).
• Rule 3: Prefix/Suffix Separation: Prefixes and suffixes are generally treated as separate syllables (e.g., in-ter-vert-is-sent).
• Rule 4: Liaison: Liaison (linking of final consonants to initial vowels) doesn't affect syllable division, but it influences pronunciation.

11. Special Considerations:

The imperfect subjunctive ending "-issent" is a common source of syllabification questions. However, it's consistently treated as a single syllable in French.

12. Alternative Pronunciations/Regional Variations:

While the standard pronunciation is /ɛ̃.tɛʁ.vɛʁ.tis.sɑ̃/, some regional variations might exist in the pronunciation of nasal vowels. However, these variations do not significantly alter the syllable division.