Hyphenation ofresponsabilisâmes

Linguistic Analysis of "responsabilisâmes" (French)

1. Examination & Pronunciation:

The word "responsabilisâmes" is a conjugated form of the verb "responsabiliser" (to make responsible, to hold accountable). It's the first-person plural past historic (or simple past) indicative. Pronunciation involves careful attention to liaison and the final 's' which is silent.

2. Syllable Division:

Following French syllabification rules, which prioritize vowel sounds and avoid breaking consonant clusters unless they are pronounced as separate syllables, the division is as follows (using only original letters):

3. Morphemic Analysis:

• Prefix: re- (Latin, meaning "again," "back," or "thoroughly"). Function: Intensifier/repetition.
• Root: spons- (Latin sponsus, past participle of spondere "to pledge, promise"). Function: Core meaning related to responsibility.
• Suffix: -abilis- (Latin, adjectival suffix indicating capability or susceptibility). Function: Forms an adjective meaning "able to be".
• Suffix: -is- (French verbal suffix forming the past historic indicative). Function: Tense/mood marker.
• Suffix: -âmes (French verbal suffix indicating first-person plural past historic indicative). Function: Person/number/tense marker.

4. Stress Identification:

In French, stress generally falls on the last syllable of a phrase or breath group. In this case, the final syllable "-mes" receives the primary stress.

5. Phonetic Transcription:

/ʁɛ.sɔ̃.sa.bi.li.z‿am/

6. Edge Case Review:

The liaison between the 's' of "responsabilis" and the 'a' of "âmes" is crucial. The 's' is pronounced as /z/ in connected speech. The 'â' indicates an open 'a' sound.

7. Grammatical Role:

The word is exclusively a verb form. Syllabification remains consistent regardless of its function within a sentence.

8. Definition & Semantics:

• Definition: We made responsible; we held accountable.
• Part of Speech: Verb (past historic, indicative, first-person plural)
• Translation: We made responsible / We held accountable
• Synonyms: responsabilisons (present tense), avons responsabilisé (passé composé)
• Antonyms: déresponsabiliser (to absolve of responsibility)
• Examples:
  • "Nous nous sommes responsabilisés face à cette crise." (We took responsibility for this crisis.)
  • "Ils nous ont responsabilisés de la gestion du projet." (They made us responsible for managing the project.)

9. Phonological Comparison:

• responsabilité /ʁɛ.sɔ̃.sa.bi.li.te/ - Syllable division: re-spon-sa-bi-li-té. Similar structure, but with a different suffix.
• responsable /ʁɛ.sɔ̃.sa.bl/ - Syllable division: re-spon-sa-ble. Shorter, but shares the initial syllables.
• stabilisation /sta.bi.li.za.sjɔ̃/ - Syllable division: sta-bi-li-sa-tion. Different root, but similar suffix structure (-tion vs. -âmes).

The consistent division of re-spon-sa- across these words demonstrates the adherence to vowel-based syllabification in French. The differences arise from the varying suffixes and final consonants.

10. Division Rules:

• Rule 1: Open Syllables: Syllables ending in a vowel sound are generally open (e.g., re- /ʁɛ/).
• Rule 2: Consonant Clusters: Consonant clusters are kept together unless they can be naturally separated by a vowel sound (e.g., spon- /sɔ̃/).
• Rule 3: Liaison: Liaison creates a new syllable onset, influencing the division (e.g., sâmes /z‿am/).
• Rule 4: Final Consonants: Final consonants are generally part of the preceding syllable unless they initiate a liaison.

11. Special Considerations:

The past historic tense is relatively rare in modern spoken French, making this word less frequently encountered. However, the syllabification rules remain consistent. The 'â' is a key feature, indicating a specific vowel quality and influencing the syllable boundary.

12. Alternative Pronunciations/Regional Variations:

While the standard pronunciation is as transcribed, some regional variations might exist in vowel quality or the degree of liaison. These variations would not fundamentally alter the syllable division.