Hyphenation ofmétaphosphorique

Linguistic Analysis of "métaphosphorique" (French)

1. Pronunciation Examination:

The word "métaphosphorique" is pronounced with a relatively complex sequence of sounds, including nasal vowels, schwa sounds, and liaison possibilities. The 'ph' is pronounced /f/. The final 'e' is silent.

2. Syllable Division:

Following French syllabification rules, which prioritize vowel sounds and avoid syllable-initial consonant clusters where possible, the word breaks down as follows (using only original letters):

3. Morphemic Analysis:

• Prefix: meta- (Greek origin, meaning "beyond," "after," or "changing"). Morphological function: modifies the meaning of the root.
• Root: phosphor- (Greek origin, from phosphoros meaning "light-bringing"). Morphological function: core meaning related to phosphorus.
• Suffix: -ique (Latin origin, adjectival suffix). Morphological function: forms an adjective.

4. Stress Identification:

In French, stress typically falls on the last syllable of a word or phrase. However, in polysyllabic words, the stress is often less prominent than in languages like English. In this case, the stress falls on the final syllable: "-rique".

5. Phonetic Transcription:

/me.ta.fɔs.fɔ.ʁik/

6. Edge Case Review:

French syllabification generally avoids leaving a single consonant between vowels. This rule is applied here. The 'ph' is treated as a single phoneme /f/ for syllabification purposes.

7. Grammatical Role:

"Métaphosphorique" functions primarily as an adjective. Syllabification and stress remain consistent regardless of its grammatical role within a sentence.

8. Definition & Semantics:

• Definition: Relating to or containing metaphosphoric acid.
• Translation: Metaphosphoric (English)
• Grammatical Category: Adjective
• Synonyms: (None readily available without specific chemical context)
• Antonyms: (None readily available without specific chemical context)
• Examples: "L'acide métaphosphorique est utilisé en analyse chimique." (Metaphosphoric acid is used in chemical analysis.)

9. Phonological Comparison:

• économique: é-co-no-mi-que. Similar structure with a prefix and suffix. Stress on the final syllable.
• chimique: chi-mi-que. Shorter, but shares the "-ique" suffix and final stress.
• magnétique: mag-né-ti-que. Similar syllable structure and stress pattern.

The differences in syllable division arise from the varying number of consonants and vowels within the root and prefix. "Métaphosphorique" has a more complex consonant cluster ("ph") and a longer root, leading to more syllables.

Detailed Syllable Analysis:

Division Rules Applied:

1. Vowel-Initial Syllable: Syllables generally begin with a vowel sound.
2. Consonant Cluster Resolution: Consonant clusters are broken up to avoid syllable-initial clusters where possible.
3. Final Syllable Stress: Stress falls on the final syllable.
4. Avoid Single Intervocalic Consonant: Consonants are not left isolated between vowels.

Special Considerations:

The 'ph' digraph is treated as a single phoneme /f/ for syllabification. Liaison is possible between "spor" and a following vowel.

Alternative Pronunciations/Regional Variations:

Pronunciation may vary slightly depending on regional accents, but the core syllabification remains consistent.