Hyphenation ofsemi-publiques

Analysis of "semi-publiques"

1. Pronunciation Considerations:

The word "semi-publiques" presents some challenges due to the presence of the semi- prefix, liaison possibilities, and the final 's' which is generally silent but can trigger liaison. The pronunciation will be [semi pyblik].

2. Syllable Division:

Following French syllabification rules, which prioritize vowel sounds and avoid breaking consonant clusters unless they are complex, the division will be: se-mi-pu-bli-ques.

3. Morphemic Analysis:

• Prefix: semi- (Latin origin) - meaning "half" or "partly". Morphological function: degree/quantity modifier.
• Root: public- (Latin origin, publicus) - meaning "of the people" or "relating to the community". Morphological function: base meaning.
• Suffix: -es (French origin) - plural marker for nouns. Morphological function: grammatical number.

4. Stress Identification:

In French, stress typically falls on the last syllable of a word or a phrase. In this case, the stress falls on "-ques".

5. Phonetic Transcription:

/semi pyb.lik/ (Note: the 'b' is not pronounced in standard French, but is present in the phonetic transcription to reflect the orthography. The liaison between 'publiques' and a following vowel sound would result in /semi pyb.lik/)

6. Syllable List with IPA and Rule Explanations:

• se- /sə/ - Open syllable. Rule: Syllables are formed around vowel sounds. No consonant cluster breaking needed.
• mi- /mi/ - Open syllable. Rule: Syllables are formed around vowel sounds.
• pu- /py/ - Open syllable. Rule: Syllables are formed around vowel sounds. Liaison potential with following syllable.
• bli- /blik/ - Closed syllable. Rule: Consonant clusters are generally kept together within a syllable unless they are complex.
• ques /kə/ - Open syllable. Rule: Syllables are formed around vowel sounds. Final syllable, receives stress.

7. Syllable Division Rules Applied:

• Vowel-centric Syllabification: French syllabification prioritizes vowels. Each vowel sound generally forms the nucleus of a syllable.
• Consonant Cluster Preservation: Consonant clusters are generally kept together within a syllable, unless they are complex or disrupt the vowel-centric pattern.
• Avoidance of Single-Letter Syllables: French avoids creating syllables consisting of a single consonant.

8. Exceptions and Special Cases:

• The 's' at the end of "publiques" is generally silent, but can trigger liaison with a following vowel sound. This doesn't affect the syllabification itself, but impacts pronunciation.
• The semi- prefix is often treated as a single unit, but is still divided into syllables based on its vowel.

9. Grammatical Role & Syllabification Shifts:

"Semi-publiques" functions as an adjective. The syllabification remains consistent regardless of its grammatical function.

10. Regional Variations:

Regional variations in pronunciation might affect the degree of liaison, but not the core syllabification.

11. Phonological Comparison:

• "semi-privées": se-mi-pri-vées. Similar structure with the "semi-" prefix and a vowel-final adjective.
• "publiques": pu-bli-ques. The base word, demonstrating the same syllabification pattern for the root.
• "magnifiques": mag-ni-fi-ques. Similar ending "-fiques" with stress on the final syllable.

Definition & Semantics:

• Part of Speech: Adjective
• Definitions:
  • "partially public"
  • "semi-public"
• Translation: English: semi-public
• Synonyms: partiellement public
• Antonyms: entièrement public (entirely public)
• Examples: "des espaces semi-publiques" (semi-public spaces), "une entreprise semi-publique" (a semi-public company).