Hyphenation ofpousse-cailloux

Analysis of "pousse-cailloux"

1. Pronunciation: The word "pousse-cailloux" is pronounced approximately as /pus ka.ju/.

2. Syllable Division: The syllable division, adhering to the rule of using only the original letters, is: pous-se-cail-loux

3. Morphemic Analysis:

• Prefix: pousse- (from the verb pousser - to push). Origin: Old French, from Vulgar Latin pulsare. Morphological function: Forms a compound noun, indicating action or characteristic.
• Root: caillou (pebble, stone). Origin: Old French caillou, from Latin cancellus (lattice, grating). Morphological function: Noun, the core meaning of the compound.
• Suffix: -x (plural marker). Origin: Old French. Morphological function: Forms the plural of caillou.

4. Stress Identification: The primary stress falls on the final syllable: pous-se-cail-loux. French generally stresses the last syllable of a word or phrase.

5. Phonetic Transcription: /pus ka.ju/

6. Edge Case Review: The hyphenated structure of the word presents a slight edge case. While each part is pronounced as a separate unit, the overall syllabification must consider the entire word.

7. Grammatical Role: "Pousse-cailloux" functions as a noun. The syllabification remains consistent regardless of grammatical role, as it's a compound noun.

8. Definition & Semantics:

• Definition: A game similar to marbles, where players flick pebbles (cailloux) with a larger pebble (pousse).
• Grammatical Category: Noun (masculine, plural)
• Translation: Marbles (specifically, the game)
• Synonyms: Billes (more general term for marbles)
• Antonyms: None directly applicable.
• Examples: "Nous jouions aux pousse-cailloux dans la cour de récréation." (We were playing marbles in the schoolyard.)

9. Phonological Comparison:

• cerveau (brain): cer-veau. Similar syllable structure (CVC-CV). Stress on the final syllable.
• tableau (painting): ta-bleau. Similar syllable structure (CV-CV). Stress on the final syllable.
• chameau (camel): cha-meau. Similar syllable structure (CV-CV). Stress on the final syllable.

The consistent stress on the final syllable in these words demonstrates a common pattern in French. "Pousse-cailloux" follows this pattern, despite its compound nature.

Detailed Syllable Analysis:

• pous /pus/: Open syllable. Syllable division rule: vowel followed by consonant. Potential exception: the 's' could potentially initiate a consonant cluster with the following vowel, but it's more naturally separated.
• se /sə/: Open syllable. Syllable division rule: vowel following a consonant.
• cail /kɑj/: Open syllable. Syllable division rule: vowel following a consonant.
• loux /lu/: Closed syllable. Syllable division rule: consonant cluster ending the syllable.

Division Rules Applied:

• Rule 1: Vowel-Consonant Division: Syllables are often divided between vowels and consonants (e.g., pous-se).
• Rule 2: Final Consonant Cluster: Consonant clusters at the end of a syllable are generally kept together (e.g., loux).
• Rule 3: Compound Word Syllabification: Each component of a compound word is syllabified independently before considering the whole word.

Special Considerations:

• The hyphen in "pousse-cailloux" indicates a compound word, but doesn't alter the fundamental syllabification rules.
• Regional variations in pronunciation might slightly affect the perceived syllable boundaries, but the core division remains consistent.