Hyphenation ofsous-tendissions

Analysis of "sous-tendissions"

1. Pronunciation Considerations:

The word "sous-tendissions" is a complex verb form in French, specifically the imperfect subjunctive of the verb "sous-tendre." Pronunciation involves liaison possibilities and vowel elision depending on context.

2. Syllable Division:

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

3. Morphemic Analysis:

• Prefix: sous- (Latin sub- meaning "under, below"). Function: modifies the verb's meaning.
• Root: tend- (Latin tendere meaning "to stretch, extend"). Function: core meaning of the verb.
• Suffix: -issions (from the imperfect subjunctive ending -ions + infinitive stem). Function: indicates tense, mood, and person/number.

4. Stress Identification:

The primary stress in French generally falls on the last syllable of a phrase or a word when it is isolated. In this case, the stress falls on "-sions".

5. Phonetic Transcription:

/su.tɑ̃.di.sjõ/

6. Syllable Breakdown & Rule Application:

• sou- /su/ - Open syllable. Rule: Syllables are formed around vowel sounds. No consonant clusters to break.
• -s- /s/ - This syllable is a single consonant and is often considered part of the following syllable. Rule: Single consonants following a vowel typically attach to the next syllable.
• -ten- /tɑ̃/ - Closed syllable. Rule: Vowel followed by a consonant. Nasal vowel.
• -dis- /di/ - Open syllable. Rule: Vowel sound forms the syllable nucleus.
• -sions /sjõ/ - Closed syllable. Rule: Vowel followed by a consonant cluster. Nasal vowel.

7. Edge Case Review:

The hyphenated structure of "sous-tendre" can sometimes lead to debate about whether "sous" should be considered a separate prosodic unit. However, in verb conjugations, it's generally treated as part of the verb stem.

8. Grammatical Role:

"Sous-tendissions" is exclusively a verb form (imperfect subjunctive). Syllabification remains consistent regardless of its function within a sentence.

9. Definition & Semantics:

• Definition: To underlie, to support, to imply. (Imperfect Subjunctive of sous-tendre)
• Translation: To underlie, to support, to imply.
• Part of Speech: Verb (Imperfect Subjunctive)
• Synonyms: impliquer, soutenir, fonder
• Antonyms: contredire, réfuter
• Examples: "Si cela sous-tendait une nouvelle approche, ce serait intéressant." (If this were to underlie a new approach, it would be interesting.)

10. Regional Variations:

Pronunciation of nasal vowels can vary slightly between regions in France, but this doesn't significantly affect syllabification.

11. Phonological Comparison:

• com-pren-dions: /kɔ̃.pʁɑ̃.djõ/ - Similar syllable structure, with nasal vowels and consonant clusters. Stress on the final syllable.
• pré-fé-rions: /pʁe.fe.ʁjõ/ - Similar syllable structure, with a prefix and a final "-ions" ending. Stress on the final syllable.
• sous-cri-vions: /su.kʁi.vjõ/ - Similar syllable structure, with a prefix and a final "-ions" ending. Stress on the final syllable.

The consistency in syllable division across these words demonstrates the application of the same rules: vowel-centered syllables, avoidance of breaking consonant clusters, and the tendency for single consonants to attach to the following syllable.