Hyphenation ofsuffoquassions

Analysis of "suffoquassions" (French)

1. Pronunciation & Initial Examination:

The word "suffoquassions" is a conjugated form of the verb "suffoquer" (to suffocate). It's the first-person plural imperfect subjunctive. Pronunciation involves nasal vowels and a final schwa.

2. Syllable Division:

Following French syllabification rules, which prioritize vowel sounds and avoid breaking consonant clusters unless they are complex, the division will be: suf-fo-quas-sions.

3. Morphemic Analysis:

• Prefix: None
• Root: suffoc- (Latin suffocare - to extinguish by smoke, to suffocate)
• Suffix: -qu- (linking vowel, from Latin) + -ass- (from Latin ad- + facere - to do, making the verb causative) + -ions (first-person plural imperfect subjunctive ending)

4. Stress Identification:

In French, stress generally falls on the last syllable of a phrase or breath group. However, within a word, it's subtle and often on the final syllable. In this case, the stress is on "-sions".

5. Phonetic Transcription:

/syfɔ.kɑ.sjɔ̃/

6. Edge Case Review:

The "qu" cluster is a potential edge case, but in French, "qu" before a vowel generally forms a single syllable. The nasal vowel /ɔ̃/ in "sions" is also a typical French feature.

7. Grammatical Role:

The word is exclusively a verb form. Syllabification doesn't change based on grammatical role as it's a single conjugated form.

8. Definition & Semantics:

• Definition: First-person plural imperfect subjunctive of "suffoquer" - to suffocate.
• Translation: We would suffocate.
• Grammatical Category: Verb (Imperfect Subjunctive)
• Synonyms: étouffions (we would stifle)
• Antonyms: respirons (we would breathe)
• Examples: "Si l'air était irrespirable, nous suffoquassions." (If the air were unbreathable, we would suffocate.)

9. Phonological Comparison:

• actionner: a-c-tion-ner - Similar vowel structure, but with a consonant cluster "ct" which is separated.
• question: ques-tion - Similar "qu" cluster, but a different vowel following.
• occasion: o-cca-sion - Similar ending "-sion", demonstrating the typical syllabification of this suffix.

Detailed Syllable Breakdown:

• suf-: /syf/ - Open syllable, ending in a fricative. Rule: Vowel followed by consonant(s) creates a syllable. Exception: The "f" is not released as it is followed by a vowel.
• fo-: /fɔ/ - Open syllable, ending in a vowel. Rule: Vowel followed by consonant(s) creates a syllable.
• quas-: /kɑs/ - Closed syllable, ending in a consonant. Rule: Vowel surrounded by consonants creates a syllable. The "qu" is treated as a single unit.
• sions: /sjɔ̃/ - Closed syllable, ending in a nasal vowel. Rule: Vowel surrounded by consonants creates a syllable. The nasal vowel forms the nucleus.

Division Rules Applied:

1. Vowel Nucleus Rule: Each syllable must contain a vowel sound.
2. Consonant Cluster Rule: Consonant clusters are generally kept together within a syllable unless they are complex or interrupt the flow of vowel sounds.
3. "qu" Rule: "qu" before a vowel is generally treated as a single consonant sound within a syllable.

Special Considerations:

• The imperfect subjunctive ending "-ions" is a common feature of French verb conjugation and consistently syllabified as a separate unit.
• The pronunciation of the "f" in "suf-" can be subtle, sometimes almost silent, but it still contributes to the syllable structure.

Alternative Pronunciations/Regional Variations:

There are minimal regional variations in the pronunciation of this word. The schwa sound in "-sions" might be slightly more or less pronounced depending on the speaker and region, but this doesn't affect the syllabification.