Hyphenation ofsuperphosphates

Analysis of "superphosphates" in French

1. Pronunciation & Initial Examination:

The word "superphosphates" is a relatively complex word borrowed into French, retaining much of its original structure. Pronunciation in French will follow French phonological rules, including nasal vowels and liaison possibilities.

2. Syllable Division:

Following French syllabification rules, which prioritize vowel sounds and avoid stranded consonants, the division will be: su-per-pho-sphates.

3. Morphemic Analysis:

• Prefix: super- (Latin, meaning "above," "over," or "excessively"). Morphological function: intensifier.
• Root: phosph- (Greek, from phosphoros, meaning "light-bringing"). Morphological function: core meaning relating to phosphorus.
• Suffix: -ates (French, derived from Latin -atus). Morphological function: forms a noun denoting a substance or result.

4. Stress Identification:

In French, stress generally falls on the last syllable of a word or phrase. Therefore, the primary stress is on "-ates".

5. Phonetic Transcription:

/sy.pɛʁ.fɔs.fat/

6. Edge Case Review:

The sequence "ph" represents /f/ in French. The "s" at the end of "phosphates" is generally silent, but can be pronounced in liaison with a following vowel.

7. Grammatical Role:

"Superphosphates" functions primarily as a noun. Syllabification and stress remain consistent regardless of grammatical context.

8. Definition & Semantics:

• Definition: Salts of phosphoric acid containing calcium or ammonium, used as fertilizers.
• Translation: Superphosphates (English)
• Grammatical Category: Noun (masculine plural)
• Synonyms: Engrais phosphatés (phosphatic fertilizers)
• Antonyms: None directly applicable.
• Examples:
  • "Les superphosphates sont essentiels pour la croissance des plantes." (Superphosphates are essential for plant growth.)
  • "L'utilisation de superphosphates a augmenté les rendements agricoles." (The use of superphosphates has increased agricultural yields.)

9. Phonological Comparison:

• "supermarchés" (supermarkets): su-per-mar-chés. Similar prefix and stress pattern.
• "phosphore" (phosphorus): phos-pho-re. Shares the "phosph-" root and similar vowel sounds.
• "chlorates" (chlorates): chlo-ra-tes. Similar suffix and stress pattern.

The syllable division in all these words follows the same principle of maximizing vowel-consonant pairings and placing stress on the final syllable.

Detailed Syllable Analysis:

• su-: /sy/ - Open syllable. Rule: Vowel followed by consonant. Exception: Initial syllable.
• per-: /pɛʁ/ - Open syllable. Rule: Vowel followed by consonant.
• pho-: /fɔs/ - Open syllable. Rule: Vowel followed by consonant. The "ph" is pronounced as /f/.
• sphates: /fat/ - Closed syllable. Rule: Consonant cluster followed by vowel. The final "s" is generally silent.

Division Rules Applied:

1. Vowel-Consonant Division: Syllables are generally divided after a vowel sound.
2. Avoid Stranded Consonants: Consonants are not left alone to begin a syllable unless they are part of a consonant cluster.
3. Final Syllable Stress: French generally stresses the final syllable.

Special Considerations:

• The pronunciation of the final "s" can vary depending on liaison.
• The "ph" digraph is pronounced as /f/ in French.
• The word is a borrowing, so its pronunciation may have slight variations depending on the speaker.