Hyphenation ofaardappelschilmesje

Linguistic Analysis of "aardappelschilmesje" (Dutch)

1. Examination & Pronunciation:

The word "aardappelschilmesje" refers to a small knife specifically for peeling potatoes. It's a compound noun, common in Dutch. Pronunciation involves a sequence of vowel and consonant clusters, typical of Dutch morphology.

2. Syllable Division:

Following Dutch syllabification rules, which prioritize vowel sounds and avoid splitting diphthongs or consonant clusters where possible, the word breaks down as follows (see "syllable_division" in the JSON output).

3. Morphemic Analysis:

• aard-: Root, originating from Old Dutch "erthe" meaning "earth," referring to the potato growing in the ground. (Root)
• appel-: Root, meaning "apple," historically used as part of the potato's name (likely due to early potatoes resembling apples). (Root)
• schil-: Root, meaning "peel" or "skin." (Root)
• -mes-: Root, meaning "knife." (Root)
• -je: Diminutive suffix, indicating a small size or endearing quality. Originates from Middle Dutch. (Suffix)

4. Stress Identification:

The primary stress falls on the penultimate syllable: "schil".

5. Phonetic Transcription:

/ˈaːrdɑpəlsχɪlmɛʃə/

6. Edge Case Review:

Dutch allows for complex consonant clusters, and this word exemplifies that. The "sch" cluster is a single phoneme /x/. The diminutive "-je" is often unstressed and can be reduced in rapid speech.

7. Grammatical Role:

The word is a noun. Syllabification and stress remain consistent regardless of grammatical function (as it's a single, inflexible form).

8. Definition & Semantics:

• Definition: A small knife used for peeling potatoes.
• Grammatical Category: Noun (de aardappelschilmesje)
• Translation: Potato peeler (small knife)
• Synonyms: None readily available, as it's a specific tool.
• Antonyms: N/A
• Examples: "Ik heb een nieuwe aardappelschilmesje gekocht." (I bought a new potato peeler.)

9. Phonological Comparison:

• "handdoek" (towel): han-doek - Similar vowel structure, but simpler consonant clusters.
• "watermeloen" (watermelon): wa-ter-me-loen - Demonstrates the typical Dutch pattern of breaking up compound words into syllables.
• "schoenmaker" (shoemaker): schoen-ma-ker - Shows how consonant clusters are handled, and stress placement in compound words.

10. Syllable Division Rules Applied:

• Vowel-centric Syllabification: Each vowel sound generally forms the nucleus of a syllable.
• Consonant Cluster Handling: Consonant clusters are generally kept together within a syllable unless they are easily separable (e.g., a single consonant between vowels).
• Avoidance of Diphthong Splitting: Diphthongs are not broken across syllable boundaries.
• Compound Word Syllabification: Compound words are divided based on the individual morphemes.

11. Special Considerations:

The word is a compound noun, which influences the syllabification. The diminutive suffix "-je" is often unstressed and can be elided in rapid speech, but it still constitutes a syllable for analytical purposes.

12. Alternative Pronunciations/Regional Variations:

Regional variations in vowel pronunciation exist in Dutch, but they don't significantly alter the syllable division. Some speakers might pronounce the 'a' in 'aard' slightly differently, but the syllable boundaries remain the same.