Hyphenation ofbloedsuikerspiegels

Dutch Word Analysis: bloedsuikerspiegels

1. Examination & Pronunciation:

The word "bloedsuikerspiegels" (blood sugar levels) is a compound noun in Dutch. Its pronunciation involves a sequence of consonant clusters and vowel sounds typical of the language.

2. Syllable Division:

Following Dutch syllabification rules, the word is divided as follows (using only original letters):

bloed-su-i-kers-pie-gels

3. Morphemic Analysis:

• bloed - Root: "blood" (Dutch origin). Morphological function: Noun stem.
• suiker - Root: "sugar" (Dutch origin, ultimately from Middle French sucre and Arabic sukkar). Morphological function: Noun stem.
• spiegel - Root: "mirror, level" (Dutch origin). Morphological function: Noun stem.
• -s - Suffix: Plural marker (Dutch origin). Morphological function: Grammatical number.

4. Stress Identification:

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

5. Phonetic Transcription:

/ˈbluːtˌsœy̯kərˌspiːɣəls/

6. Edge Case Review:

Dutch syllabification generally favors maximizing onsets (consonant clusters at the beginning of a syllable). The "spie-" portion could potentially be divided as "spi-e-", but "spie-" is preferred as it maintains a larger onset.

7. Grammatical Role:

The word functions solely as a noun. Syllabification and stress remain consistent regardless of its grammatical context within a sentence.

8. Definition & Semantics:

• Word: bloedsuikerspiegels
• Translation: blood sugar levels
• Part of Speech: Noun (plural)
• Synonyms: bloedglucosewaarden
• Antonyms: (Not directly applicable, as it's a measurement)
• Examples:
  • "De arts controleerde mijn bloedsuikerspiegels." (The doctor checked my blood sugar levels.)
  • "Hoge bloedsuikerspiegels kunnen leiden tot diabetes." (High blood sugar levels can lead to diabetes.)

9. Phonological Comparison:

• waterpas (level) - wa-ter-pas: Similar syllable structure with consonant clusters. Stress on the final syllable.
• tandartsspuit (dentist's syringe) - tan-darts-spuit: Complex compound noun, similar to "bloedsuikerspiegels" in terms of multiple morphemes.
• voetballerstrui (football player's shirt) - voe-tbal-ler-strui: Another compound noun with multiple syllables and consonant clusters.

The differences in syllable division arise from the specific consonant and vowel sequences within each word, adhering to the principle of maximizing onsets where possible.

10. Division Rules:

• Onset Maximization: Dutch prefers to include as many consonants as possible in the onset of a syllable. (Applied to "bloed", "suiker", "spiegel")
• Vowel as Syllable Nucleus: Each syllable must contain a vowel sound. (Applied throughout the word)
• Compound Word Syllabification: Compound words are syllabified based on the individual morphemes. (Applied to the entire word)

11. Special Considerations:

The "ui" diphthong in "suiker" is a common feature of Dutch phonology and is treated as a single syllable nucleus. The "sp" cluster is a common onset in Dutch and is generally kept together.

12. Alternative Pronunciations/Regional Variations:

Regional variations in vowel pronunciation might exist, but they generally do not affect the syllable division.