Hyphenation ofpare-étincelles

Linguistic Analysis of "pare-étincelles"

1. Examination & Pronunciation:

The word "pare-étincelles" is a French compound noun. It's pronounced roughly as /paʁe.tɛ̃.sɛl/. The pronunciation involves nasal vowels and liaison possibilities.

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: pare- (from parer, meaning "to ward off, to protect"). Origin: Old French, ultimately from Latin parare ("to prepare, make ready"). Morphological function: Forms a compound noun indicating action or capability.
• Root: étincelle (spark). Origin: Old French estincelle, from Vulgar Latin scintilla ("spark"). Morphological function: Noun denoting a small, bright flash of light.
• Suffix: -s (plural marker). Origin: Latin. Morphological function: Indicates plurality.

4. Stress Identification:

The primary stress falls on the last syllable: étincelles. French generally stresses the final syllable of a word or phrase.

5. Phonetic Transcription:

/paʁe.tɛ̃.sɛl/

6. Edge Case Review:

The liaison between pare- and étincelles is possible in fluent speech, but the syllabification remains the same regardless of liaison. The nasal vowel /ɛ̃/ in étincelles is a common feature of French phonology and doesn't present a syllabification challenge.

7. Grammatical Role:

"Pare-étincelles" functions exclusively as a noun. Its structure doesn't allow for inflection that would alter syllabification or stress.

8. Definition & Semantics:

• Definition: Something that produces sparks; a firework.
• Grammatical Category: Noun (masculine plural)
• Translation: Sparkler (firework)
• Synonyms: feux d'artifice (fireworks), pétards (firecrackers - though not a direct synonym)
• Antonyms: (None directly applicable, as it's a specific object)
• Examples:
  • "Les enfants jouaient avec des pare-étincelles." (The children were playing with sparklers.)
  • "Le ciel s'illuminait de pare-étincelles." (The sky was lit up with sparklers.)

9. Phonological Comparison:

• table: ta-ble /tabl/ - Similar syllable structure (CVC-CVC). Stress on the final syllable.
• fenêtre: fe-nê-tre /fə.nɛtʁ/ - Three syllables, final syllable stress. Vowel clusters are handled similarly.
• parapluie: pa-ra-pluie /pa.ʁa.plɥi/ - Three syllables, final syllable stress. Demonstrates the handling of multiple vowels and consonant clusters.

The differences lie in the complexity of the vowel sounds (nasal vowels in "pare-étincelles") and the compound nature of the word. However, the core principle of final syllable stress and maximizing onsets remains consistent.

Syllable Breakdown Details:

• pa-re: /paʁ/ - /ʁe/ - Open syllable followed by an open syllable. Rule: Syllables are formed around vowel nuclei. Exception: The 'r' can sometimes be considered part of the following syllable, but here it's more natural to separate it.
• é-tin-celles: /e.tɛ̃.sɛl/ - Open syllable, followed by a closed syllable, followed by a closed syllable. Rule: Consonant clusters are generally broken after the first consonant if it creates a permissible onset. Exception: The 'tin' syllable is a common pattern in French.