Hyphenation ofretravaillions

Analysis of "retravaillions" (French)

1. Pronunciation & Initial Examination:

The word "retravaillions" is a conjugated form of the verb "retravailler" (to rework). It's pronounced with a relatively complex consonant cluster and requires careful syllabification according to French phonological rules.

2. Syllable Division:

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

3. Morphemic Analysis:

• Prefix: re- (Latin origin, meaning "again," "back"). Morphological function: aspectual prefix, indicating repetition.
• Root: travail- (Latin tripalium meaning "torture instrument", then "work"). Morphological function: lexical root, denoting the action of working.
• Suffix: -aillions (combination of -ai- and -ons). -ai- is a past historic stem marker, and -ons is a first-person plural ending. Morphological function: inflectional suffix, indicating tense, mood, and person.

4. Stress Identification:

In French, stress typically falls on the last syllable of a phrase or breath group. In this case, the last syllable is stressed.

5. Phonetic Transcription:

/ʁə.tʁa.vaj.jɔ̃/

6. Syllable Breakdown & Rule Application:

Here's a detailed breakdown of each syllable, with IPA transcription, rule application, and potential exceptions:

• re-: /ʁə/ - Open syllable. Rule: Syllables are formed around vowel sounds. The 'r' is a consonant initiating the syllable. Exception: The 'r' is often schwa-reduced in unstressed positions.
• tra-: /tʁa/ - Open syllable. Rule: Vowel 'a' forms the nucleus. 'tr' is a permissible initial consonant cluster in French.
• vai-: /vaj/ - Open syllable. Rule: Vowel 'a' forms the nucleus. 'v' is the onset.
• llions: /jɔ̃/ - Closed syllable. Rule: Nasal vowel 'ɔ̃' forms the nucleus. 'll' is a consonant cluster forming the coda. Exception: The 'll' is pronounced as a palatal lateral /j/ + /l/ in many pronunciations.

7. Edge Case Review:

The consonant cluster "tr" is common in French and doesn't pose a significant syllabification challenge. The "ll" cluster is a potential area of variation, with some speakers pronouncing it as a single palatal lateral.

8. Grammatical Role:

"retravaillions" is exclusively the first-person plural past historic (or past definite) form of the verb "retravailler". Syllabification remains consistent regardless of the verb's conjugation.

9. Definition & Semantics:

• Word: retravaillions
• Part of Speech: Verb (past historic, first-person plural)
• Definitions:
  • "We reworked" / "We did rework"
  • Translation: Nous retravaillions
• Synonyms: refaisions, remaniions
• Antonyms: négligions, abandonnions
• Examples:
  • "Nous retravaillions le projet pour qu'il soit parfait." (We were reworking the project to make it perfect.)

10. Alternative Pronunciations/Regional Variations:

The pronunciation of the "ll" cluster can vary. In some regions, it might be closer to /lːj/ (a longer 'l' followed by 'j'). This doesn't significantly alter the syllabification, but it affects the phonetic realization.

11. Phonological Comparison:

• travaillons: /tʁa.va.jɔ̃/ - Syllables: tra-va-llons. Similar structure, demonstrating the consistent syllabification of "travail-" and the "-ons" ending.
• essayions: /e.se.jɔ̃/ - Syllables: es-sa-yons. Similar structure, showing the consistent syllabification of vowel-initial syllables and the "-ons" ending.
• arrivions: /a.ʁi.vjɔ̃/ - Syllables: ar-ri-vions. Similar structure, demonstrating the consistent syllabification of consonant clusters and the "-ons" ending.

The consistent application of vowel-centered syllabification and the treatment of consonant clusters are evident across these examples.