Hyphenation ofresponsabilités

Linguistic Analysis of "responsabilités" (French)

1. Pronunciation Examination:

The word "responsabilités" is pronounced with a relatively even stress distribution, though the final syllable receives a slight emphasis. The 's' at the end is silent. Vowel sounds are generally clear and distinct.

2. Syllable Division:

Following French syllabification rules, which prioritize vowel sounds and consonant clusters, the word breaks down as follows (using only original letters):

3. Morphemic Analysis:

• Prefix: re- (Latin, meaning "again," "back," or "thoroughly"). Morphological function: intensifier/repetition.
• Root: spons- (Latin sponsus, past participle of spondere "to pledge, promise"). Morphological function: core meaning of "responsibility."
• Suffix: -abilité (French, derived from Latin -abilitas). Morphological function: nominalization, forming a noun denoting a quality or state.
• Suffix: -és (French, plural marker and verb conjugation ending). Morphological function: indicates plurality and grammatical gender.

4. Stress Identification:

The primary stress falls on the penultimate syllable: respon-sa-bi-li-tés. While French stress is generally less prominent than in English, this syllable is slightly more emphasized.

5. Phonetic Transcription:

/ʁɛ.sɔ̃.sa.bi.li.te/

6. Edge Case Review:

The nasal vowel /ɔ̃/ in "respon-" is a common feature of French and doesn't present a significant syllabification challenge. The consonant cluster "sb" is permissible in French, and is not broken.

7. Grammatical Role:

"Responsabilités" is exclusively a noun, meaning "responsibilities." As a noun, the syllabification and stress remain consistent.

8. Definition & Semantics:

• Definition: The state or fact of having a duty to deal with something or of having control over someone.
• Translation: Responsibilities (English)
• Grammatical Category: Noun (feminine plural)
• Synonyms: devoirs, obligations
• Antonyms: libertés, droits
• Examples:
  • "Elle a beaucoup de responsabilités." (She has a lot of responsibilities.)
  • "Les responsabilités d'un parent." (The responsibilities of a parent.)

9. Phonological Comparison:

• possibilités: po-ssi-bi-li-tés - Similar structure, with a consonant cluster. Stress on the penultimate syllable.
• difficultés: di-fi-cu-l-tés - Similar suffix -tés. Stress on the penultimate syllable.
• sensibilités: sen-si-bi-li-tés - Similar suffix -tés. Stress on the penultimate syllable.

These words all share the -tés suffix and a similar stress pattern, demonstrating consistency in French syllabification. The presence of consonant clusters doesn't alter the basic vowel-centered syllable division.

10. Division Rules:

• Rule 1: Open Syllables: Syllables ending in a vowel are generally open (e.g., re-, sa-, bi-, li-, té).
• Rule 2: Consonant Clusters: Consonant clusters are generally maintained within a syllable unless they are easily separable by a vowel sound.
• Rule 3: Vowel Groups: Vowel groups (diphthongs, triphthongs) are usually treated as a single syllable.
• Rule 4: Penultimate Stress: In French, stress typically falls on the last syllable of a word, or the penultimate syllable if the last syllable is light (ends in a vowel or a silent consonant).

11. Special Considerations:

The nasal vowel /ɔ̃/ in "respon-" doesn't affect the syllable division, but it's a crucial phonetic feature. The silent 's' at the end doesn't influence syllabification.

12. Alternative Pronunciations/Regional Variations:

While the standard pronunciation is as described above, some regional variations might exist in the degree of stress on the final syllable. However, the core syllabification remains consistent.