Hyphenation ofsous-calibrées

Analysis of "sous-calibrées"

1. Pronunciation Considerations:

The word "sous-calibrées" is a feminine plural adjective in French. Its pronunciation involves nasal vowels, liaison possibilities, and the final 's' indicating plurality. The 'r' is typically uvular in standard French.

2. Syllable Division:

Following French syllabification rules, which prioritize vowel sounds and avoid breaking consonant clusters unless they are complex, the word divides as follows (using only the original letters):

3. Morphemic Analysis:

• Prefix: sous- (Latin sub- meaning "under, below"). Morphological function: adverbial prefix, modifying the verb/adjective.
• Root: calibr- (from Latin calibra meaning "weigh, measure"). Morphological function: base of the adjective, denoting measurement or standardization.
• Suffix: -ées (feminine plural agreement marker, derived from Latin -ata). Morphological function: indicates feminine plural form of the adjective.

4. Stress Identification:

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

5. Phonetic Transcription:

/su.ka.li.bʁe.e/

6. Syllable Breakdown & Rule Application:

• sou- /su/ - Open syllable. Rule: Syllables are formed around vowel sounds. No consonant cluster breaks are necessary.
• -s /s/ - This syllable is a single consonant and is attached to the previous syllable due to French phonotactics.
• -ca- /ka/ - Open syllable. Rule: Vowel sound 'a' creates a syllable.
• -li- /li/ - Open syllable. Rule: Vowel sound 'i' creates a syllable.
• -bré- /bʁe/ - Closed syllable. Rule: Consonant 'r' closes the syllable.
• -es /e/ - Open syllable. Rule: Vowel sound 'e' creates a syllable.

7. Edge Case Review:

The liaison between "sous" and "calibrées" is possible in connected speech, but the syllabification remains the same. The 'r' sound is a uvular fricative in standard French, which can affect the perceived length of the syllable.

8. Grammatical Role:

As an adjective, the syllabification remains consistent. If it were part of a verb construction (less common), the stress might shift slightly, but the syllable division would not fundamentally change.

9. Definition & Semantics:

• Definition: "Sous-calibrées" means "under-calibrated" or "not properly calibrated." It describes something that has not been accurately measured or adjusted.
• Part of Speech: Adjective (feminine plural)
• Translation: Under-calibrated, poorly calibrated
• Synonyms: mal ajustées, imprécises
• Antonyms: calibrées, précises
• Examples: "Les mesures étaient sous-calibrées." (The measurements were under-calibrated.) "Les machines sous-calibrées produisent des erreurs." (The under-calibrated machines produce errors.)

10. Regional Variations:

Regional variations in pronunciation (e.g., a less pronounced 'r') might affect the perceived length of syllables, but not the core syllabification.

11. Phonological Comparison:

• "sous-estimées" (underestimated): sou-ses-ti-mées. Similar syllable structure, with a prefix and a root.
• "sur-évaluées" (overvalued): su-ré-va-lu-ées. Similar syllable structure, with a prefix and a root.
• "mal-aimées" (disliked): mal-ai-mées. Similar syllable structure, with a prefix and a root.

The differences in syllable division arise from the different vowel and consonant combinations within the root and suffix. The consistent application of vowel-centered syllabification is maintained across these examples.