Hyphenation ofraccapriccevoli

Linguistic Analysis of "raccapriccevoli" (Italian)

1. Examination & Pronunciation:

The word "raccapriccevoli" is an Italian adjective meaning "frightful," "horrifying," or "ghastly." It's a relatively complex word morphologically, built upon a verb root. Pronunciation involves careful attention to geminate consonants and vowel quality.

2. Syllable Division:

Following Italian syllabification rules, the word breaks down as follows (using only original letters):

3. Morphemic Analysis:

• Prefix: ra- (Latin re-), intensifying prefix.
• Root: capri- (from Latin capere - to take, seize), related to the idea of causing a strong sensation.
• Suffix: -cce- (infix, intensifying, derived from ce), and -voli (Latin -bilis), adjectival suffix indicating capability or quality.

4. Stress Identification:

The primary stress falls on the penultimate syllable: raccapric-ce-vo-li.

5. Phonetic Transcription:

/rak.ka.prit.tʃeˈvo.li/

6. Edge Case Review:

The geminate consonants (cc and pp) are crucial for correct pronunciation and influence syllable weight. The infix -cce- is a somewhat archaic feature, but still present in modern Italian.

7. Grammatical Role:

"Raccapriccevoli" is primarily an adjective. Its syllabification and stress remain consistent regardless of its grammatical function within a sentence.

8. Definition & Semantics:

• Definition: Causing great fear or horror; frightful, appalling.
• Part of Speech: Adjective
• Translation: Frightful, horrifying, appalling, ghastly.
• Synonyms: spaventosi, terrificanti, orribili
• Antonyms: rassicuranti, piacevoli
• Examples:
  • "Un film raccapriccevoli." (A horrifying film.)
  • "La storia era raccapriccevoli." (The story was appalling.)

9. Phonological Comparison:

• possibili: /pos.siˈbi.le/ - Syllable structure similar, with a final -bile suffix. Stress on the penultimate syllable.
• terribili: /ter.riˈbi.li/ - Similar syllable structure with a final -bile suffix. Stress on the penultimate syllable.
• capricciosi: /ka.prit.tʃoˈzo.zi/ - Shares the capri- root and similar vowel patterns. Stress on the antepenultimate syllable. The difference in stress placement is due to the different suffix and overall word length.

Detailed Syllable Analysis:

Syllable Division Rules Applied:

1. Consonant-Vowel (CV) Division: When a consonant is followed by a vowel, the syllable break occurs between them.
2. Geminate Consonant Rule: Geminate consonants (double consonants) are considered part of the following syllable. This is crucial for maintaining the correct pronunciation and syllable weight.
3. Vowel-Consonant (VC) Division: When a vowel is followed by a consonant, the syllable break occurs between them.

Exceptions/Special Cases:

• The infix -cce- is an unusual feature, but it follows the gemination rule, attaching to the following syllable.
• The geminate consonants significantly impact the rhythm and pronunciation of the word.

Word-Level Exceptions:

The word itself is relatively complex due to its morphology, but it doesn't present any major exceptions to standard Italian syllabification rules.

Multi-Part-of-Speech Considerations:

As an adjective, the syllabification remains consistent. If it were hypothetically used as a noun (though rare), the stress and syllable division would not change.

Regional Variations:

While standard Italian pronunciation is relatively consistent, some regional variations might affect vowel quality or the degree of gemination, but these would not alter the fundamental syllable division.