Hyphenation ofquatre-feuilles

Analysis of "quatre-feuilles"

1. Pronunciation: The word "quatre-feuilles" is pronounced approximately as /katʁ.fœj/ in standard French.

2. Syllable Division: The syllable division, adhering to the rule of maximizing onsets and avoiding stranded consonants, is as follows (using only the original letters):

3. Morphemic Analysis:

• quatre-: Prefix, from Old French quatre meaning "four," ultimately from Latin quattuor. Morphological function: numeral modifier.
• feuilles: Root, from Old French fuelle, from Latin folium (leaf). Morphological function: noun, plural.

4. Stress Identification: In French, stress typically falls on the last syllable of a word or phrase. In this case, the stress falls on "-illes".

5. Phonetic Transcription: /katʁ.fœj/

6. Edge Case Review: French syllable structure generally avoids consonant clusters at the end of syllables. However, the /ʁ/ sound can sometimes act as a syllable nucleus, particularly in liaison.

7. Grammatical Role: "Quatre-feuilles" functions as a noun. Syllabification and stress remain consistent regardless of grammatical context.

8. Definition & Semantics:

• Definition: A four-leaf clover.
• Grammatical Category: Noun (feminine plural)
• Translation: Four-leaf clover
• Synonyms: Trèfle à quatre feuilles
• Antonyms: Trèfle à trois feuilles (three-leaf clover)
• Examples: "Elle a trouvé une quatre-feuilles dans le jardin." (She found a four-leaf clover in the garden.)

9. Phonological Comparison:

• table: ta-ble /tabl/ - Similar open syllable structure.
• livre: li-vre /livʁ/ - Similar open syllable structure with a liquid consonant.
• porte: por-te /pɔʁt/ - Similar structure with a nasal vowel and a consonant cluster.

The difference lies in the complexity of the initial consonant cluster in "quatre" and the final consonant cluster in "feuilles". French allows for more complex clusters than some other languages.

Detailed Syllable Analysis:

• Syllable 1: qua
  • IPA: /kwa/
  • Description: Open syllable, onset /kw/, nucleus /a/.
  • Rule Applied: Maximizing onsets. The 'qu' digraph is treated as a single onset.
  • Exceptions/Special Cases: The 'qu' digraph is a unique feature of French orthography.
• Syllable 2: tre
  • IPA: /tʁə/
  • Description: Open syllable, onset /t/, nucleus /ə/ (schwa).
  • Rule Applied: Consonant-vowel pairing.
  • Exceptions/Special Cases: The /ʁ/ sound can sometimes be realized as a vowel-like sound.
• Syllable 3: feu
  • IPA: /fœ/
  • Description: Open syllable, onset /f/, nucleus /œ/ (open-mid front rounded vowel).
  • Rule Applied: Consonant-vowel pairing.
  • Exceptions/Special Cases: The /œ/ vowel is a characteristic sound of French.
• Syllable 4: il
  • IPA: /il/
  • Description: Open syllable, onset /i/, nucleus /l/.
  • Rule Applied: Consonant-vowel pairing.
  • Exceptions/Special Cases: The 'il' sequence is a common syllable structure in French.
• Syllable 5: les
  • IPA: /lɛ/
  • Description: Open syllable, onset /l/, nucleus /ɛ/ (open-mid front unrounded vowel).
  • Rule Applied: Consonant-vowel pairing.
  • Exceptions/Special Cases: The 'les' ending is a common plural marker.

Exceptions/Special Cases for the Word as a Whole: The compound nature of the word (prefix + root) doesn't significantly alter the standard syllabification rules.

Differences in Syllabification based on Part of Speech: As the word is exclusively a noun, there are no variations in syllabification based on grammatical function.

Alternative Pronunciations/Regional Variations: While the pronunciation /katʁ.fœj/ is standard, some regional variations might exist in the realization of the /ʁ/ sound. This wouldn't affect the syllable division.