Hyphenation ofquatre-vingtièmes

Analysis of "quatre-vingtièmes" (French)

1. Pronunciation:

The word "quatre-vingtièmes" is pronounced approximately as /katʁə vɛ̃tjem/. It's a complex number, representing "twenty-fourths".

2. Syllable Division:

The syllable division, adhering to the rule of using only the original letters, is: qua-tre-ving-tiè-mes.

3. Morphemic Analysis:

• Prefix: quatre- (from Old French quatre, ultimately from Latin quattuor meaning "four"). Function: Numerical quantifier.
• Root: vingt- (from Old French vint, ultimately from Latin viginti meaning "twenty"). Function: Numerical base.
• Suffix: -ièmes (from Old French –iemes, ultimately from Latin -iem forming ordinal numbers). Function: Ordinal suffix, indicating "nth".

4. Stress Identification:

The primary stress falls on the penultimate syllable: tiè.

5. Phonetic Transcription:

/katʁə vɛ̃tjem/

6. Syllable Breakdown & Rule Application:

• qua-tre: /kwa.tʁə/ - Syllable division occurs after the consonant cluster 'tr'. Rule: Consonant clusters are generally broken after the first consonant, unless they form a permissible onset. Here, 'tr' is a permissible onset, but the vowel 'e' necessitates the division.
• ving-tiè: /vɛ̃.tjem/ - Syllable division occurs before the accented vowel 'iè'. Rule: Vowels generally form syllable nuclei, and syllables are often divided before accented vowels.
• mes: /mɛ/ - This is a single syllable, as it contains a vowel and a final consonant. Rule: A single vowel followed by a consonant typically forms a single syllable.

7. Edge Case Review:

The liaison between "vingt" and "ièmes" is common in spoken French, but doesn't affect the written syllable division. The nasal vowel /ɛ̃/ in "vingt" can sometimes be reduced or elided in rapid speech.

8. Grammatical Role:

"Quatre-vingtièmes" functions as a numeral adjective, specifically an ordinal number. Syllabification remains consistent regardless of its grammatical role within a sentence.

9. Definition & Semantics:

• Definition: Twenty-fourths.
• Part of Speech: Numeral adjective (ordinal).
• Translation: Twenty-fourths
• Synonyms: None directly applicable (it's a specific ordinal number).
• Antonyms: None directly applicable.
• Examples: "Les quatre-vingtièmes de la classe ont réussi l'examen." (Twenty-fourths of the class passed the exam.)

10. Alternative Pronunciations/Regional Variations:

Pronunciation can vary slightly depending on regional accents. Some speakers might pronounce the 'r' in "quatre" more distinctly, while others might reduce it. However, these variations don't significantly alter the syllable division.

11. Phonological Comparison:

• vingt-et-un: /vɛ̃.te.tœ̃/ - Syllables: vin-get-un. Similar structure with a numerical root and suffixes.
• trente-deux: /tʁɑ̃t.də/ - Syllables: tren-te-deux. Similar structure with a numerical root and suffixes.
• cinquante-six: /sɛ̃.kɑ̃t.sis/ - Syllables: cin-quan-te-six. Similar structure with a numerical root and suffixes.

The syllable division in all these examples follows the same principles: division before accented vowels, breaking consonant clusters where necessary, and forming syllables around vowel nuclei. The complexity arises from the compounding of numerical elements.