Hyphenation ofeerstesteenleggingen

Dutch Word Analysis: eerstesteenleggingen

1. Examination & Pronunciation:

The word eerstesteenleggingen (first stone layings) is a compound noun in Dutch. Its pronunciation involves a sequence of vowels and consonants typical of Dutch, with potential for vowel reduction in unstressed syllables.

2. Syllable Division:

Following Dutch syllabification rules, which generally favor open syllables (CV) and avoid consonant clusters at syllable boundaries where possible, the division is as follows (see JSON output for the orthographic representation).

3. Morphemic Analysis:

• eerste: (first) - Germanic origin, adjective.
• steen: (stone) - Germanic origin, noun.
• leg: (lay) - Germanic origin, verb root.
• gingen: (past participle/plural form of 'leggen' - to lay) - Germanic origin, verb suffix.
• -en: (plural marker) - Germanic origin, suffix.

4. Stress Identification:

Dutch stress is generally on the penultimate (second-to-last) syllable in words. In this case, the primary stress falls on -leg-.

5. Phonetic Transcription:

/ˈeːrstəsteːnˌlɛɣɪŋən/

6. Edge Case Review:

Dutch allows for some flexibility in vowel reduction in unstressed syllables. The 'e' in 'eerste' and 'steen' can be reduced to a schwa /ə/ in rapid speech. The 'g' in 'leggingen' is a voiced velar fricative /ɣ/.

7. Grammatical Role:

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

8. Definition & Semantics:

• Definition: The act of laying the first stone in a construction project, often a ceremonial event.
• Translation: First stone layings (English)
• Grammatical Category: Noun (de - neuter gender)
• Synonyms: eerste steen plaatsen (placing the first stone)
• Antonyms: afbreken (demolition)
• Examples:
  • "De eerstesteenleggingen werden groots gevierd." (The first stone layings were celebrated grandly.)

9. Phonological Comparison:

• voetballen (to play football): voet-bal-len - Similar syllable structure (CV-CV-CVC). Stress on the penultimate syllable.
• bibliotheek (library): bi-bli-o-theek - More complex syllable structure with multiple vowels. Stress on the antepenultimate syllable (a common exception).
• computerprogramma (computer program): com-pu-ter-pro-gram-ma - Compound word with multiple stress points, but still adhering to the general penultimate stress rule within each component.

10. Syllable Division Rules Applied:

• Onset-Rime Principle: Syllables are formed around a vowel nucleus, with preceding consonants forming the onset and following consonants forming the rime.
• Avoidance of Illegal Syllable Structures: Dutch avoids syllables starting with consonant clusters where possible, leading to syllable breaks before vowels.
• Penultimate Stress Rule: Primary stress falls on the second-to-last syllable.

11. Special Considerations:

The compound nature of the word requires careful consideration of the individual morphemes and their inherent stress patterns. Vowel reduction in unstressed syllables is a common phenomenon.