Hyphenation oftransfiguration

French Syllable Analysis of "transfiguration"

1. Examination & Pronunciation:

The word "transfiguration" in French is pronounced with a relatively consistent application of French phonological rules. It's a loanword, ultimately from Latin, and its pronunciation reflects this history. The 'g' is soft before 'u', and vowel sounds are generally clear.

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 original letters):

3. Morphemic Analysis:

• Prefix: trans- (Latin, meaning "across," "through," or "beyond"). Morphological function: changes the meaning of the root.
• Root: figur- (Latin figura, meaning "form," "shape," or "figure"). Morphological function: provides the core meaning.
• Suffix: -ation (Latin, forming nouns from verbs). Morphological function: nominalization.

4. Stress Identification:

In French, stress typically falls on the last syllable of a word or phrase. Therefore, the stress falls on "-tion".

5. Phonetic Transcription:

/tʁɑ̃sfiɡyʁasjɔ̃/

6. Edge Case Review:

French syllabification generally avoids leaving a single consonant at the beginning of a syllable unless it's part of a consonant cluster. This is observed in the division.

7. Grammatical Role:

"Transfiguration" in French is primarily a noun. Syllabification and stress remain consistent regardless of grammatical function, as it's not a verb that would undergo conjugation.

8. Definition & Semantics:

• Definition: A change in form or appearance; a metamorphosis.
• Grammatical Category: Noun (feminine)
• Translation: Transformation
• Synonyms: métamorphose, conversion
• Antonyms: stagnation, immobilité
• Examples: "La transfiguration de la ville était spectaculaire." (The transformation of the city was spectacular.)

9. Phonological Comparison:

• configuration: con-fi-gu-ra-tion. Similar syllable structure, stress on the final syllable.
• imagination: i-ma-gi-na-tion. Similar final syllable stress and vowel-consonant patterns.
• information: in-for-ma-tion. Again, final syllable stress and comparable vowel-consonant combinations.

These words share the "-tion" suffix, which consistently receives the stress. The initial consonant clusters are also similar, leading to comparable syllabification patterns.

Detailed Syllable Analysis:

Division Rules Applied:

1. Vowel-Consonant Division: Syllables are generally divided after vowels.
2. Avoid Single Initial Consonants: French avoids starting a syllable with a single consonant if possible, preferring to group it with the preceding vowel.
3. Consonant Cluster Handling: Common consonant clusters (like 'ns', 'gu') are generally kept together within a syllable.

Special Considerations:

The word is a loanword, and its pronunciation has been adapted to French phonological rules. The 'g' before 'u' is pronounced as a soft 'g' (/ɡy/).

Alternative Pronunciations/Regional Variations:

While the pronunciation is relatively standard, slight variations in vowel quality might occur depending on regional accents. However, these variations wouldn't significantly alter the syllable division.