Hyphenation ofachterhandsbeentjes

Linguistic Analysis of "achterhandsbeentjes" (Dutch)

1. Examination & Pronunciation:

The word "achterhandsbeentjes" is a Dutch noun meaning "hind legs" (specifically, the legs of an animal positioned towards the rear). It's a compound word, typical of Dutch, and its pronunciation involves a series of consonant clusters and vowel sounds characteristic of the language.

2. Syllable Division:

Following Dutch syllabification rules, which prioritize vowel sounds and avoid breaking up consonant clusters where possible, the word is divided as follows (see JSON output for the orthographic representation).

3. Morphemic Analysis:

• achter-: Prefix, meaning "behind" or "rear". Origin: Old Dutch. Function: Locative/directional.
• -hands-: Connecting element, derived from "hand" (hand, paw). Origin: Old Dutch. Function: Indicates a position or direction.
• -been-: Root, meaning "leg". Origin: Old Dutch. Function: Core lexical meaning.
• -tjes: Diminutive suffix, indicating smallness or endearment. Origin: Dutch. Function: Grammatical, modifies the noun.

4. Stress Identification:

The primary stress falls on the penultimate syllable: "beent-".

5. Phonetic Transcription:

/ˈɑxtərɦɑntsˈbeːntjəs/

6. Edge Case Review:

Dutch allows for complex consonant clusters, and this word exemplifies that. The "cht" cluster is common but requires careful articulation. The diminutive suffix "-tjes" is frequently unstressed.

7. Grammatical Role:

The word is primarily a noun. Syllabification and stress remain consistent regardless of grammatical function (as it's a concrete noun).

8. Definition & Semantics:

• Definition: Hind legs, specifically the legs of an animal positioned towards the rear.
• Grammatical Category: Noun (de - neuter gender)
• Translation: Hind legs
• Synonyms: achterpoten (more common), staartpoten
• Antonyms: voorpoten (front legs)
• Examples:
  • "De hond gebruikte zijn achterhandsbeentjes om te graven." (The dog used his hind legs to dig.)
  • "De kat sprong met haar achterhandsbeentjes op de tafel." (The cat jumped onto the table with her hind legs.)

9. Phonological Comparison:

• voetballers (football players): voe-tbal-lers. Similar in having consonant clusters, but stress is on the first syllable.
• handdoeken (towels): han-doe-ken. Demonstrates the typical Dutch vowel-centered syllabification.
• achterdeur (back door): ach-ter-deur. Shows the prefix "achter-" in a simpler compound.

The differences in syllable division arise from the varying lengths and complexities of the consonant clusters and the position of the stress. "achterhandsbeentjes" has a longer sequence of consonants and a penultimate stress, influencing the division.

10. Division Rules:

• Onset Maximization: Dutch prefers to maximize the onsets of syllables, meaning consonants are assigned to the following vowel whenever possible.
• Vowel Centering: Syllables are built around vowel sounds.
• Consonant Cluster Handling: Complex consonant clusters are generally kept together within a syllable unless they are easily separable by a vowel.

11. Special Considerations:

The "cht" cluster is a potential point of variation in pronunciation, with some speakers slightly separating it. The diminutive suffix "-tjes" is almost always unstressed.