Hyphenation ofgezondheidszorgsysteem

Dutch Word Analysis: gezondheidszorgsysteem

1. Examination & Pronunciation:

The word "gezondheidszorgsysteem" (health care system) is a complex compound noun in Dutch. Its pronunciation involves a series of vowel and consonant clusters typical of Dutch morphology. The word is relatively long and requires careful application of Dutch syllabification rules.

2. Syllable Division:

ge-zond-heids-zorg-sys-teem

3. Morphemic Analysis:

• Prefix: ge- (origin: Germanic, function: nominalizing prefix, often forming nouns from verbs or adjectives)
• Root: zond (origin: Germanic, related to zonder 'without', here meaning 'health')
• Suffixes:
  • -heid (origin: Germanic, function: nominalizing suffix, forming abstract nouns)
  • -s- (origin: Germanic, function: genitive marker, linking gezondheids to zorg)
  • -zorg (origin: Germanic, meaning 'care', 'concern')
  • -systeem (origin: Greek via French/English, meaning 'system')

4. Stress Identification:

The primary stress falls on the penultimate syllable: sys.

5. Phonetic Transcription:

/ɣəˈzɔntɦɛitsˈzɔrɣsɪˈsteːm/

6. Syllable Analysis & Rule Application:

• ge-: /ɣə/ - Open syllable. Rule: Syllables generally end in vowels. No consonant clusters break the syllable.
• zond-: /zɔnt/ - Closed syllable. Rule: Consonant after vowel creates a syllable boundary.
• heids-: /ɦɛits/ - Closed syllable. Rule: Consonant after vowel creates a syllable boundary.
• zorg-: /zɔrɣ/ - Closed syllable. Rule: Consonant after vowel creates a syllable boundary.
• sys-: /sɪs/ - Closed syllable. Rule: Consonant after vowel creates a syllable boundary. This syllable receives primary stress.
• teem: /teːm/ - Closed syllable. Rule: Consonant after vowel creates a syllable boundary.

7. Edge Case Review:

Dutch allows for complex consonant clusters, but syllabification generally prioritizes keeping consonant clusters within a single syllable if possible, unless a vowel intervenes. The 'zorgsysteem' portion demonstrates this.

8. Grammatical Role:

The word is primarily a noun. Syllabification does not significantly shift based on grammatical role, as Dutch relies more on word order and morphology than stress shifts for grammatical function.

9. Definition & Semantics:

• Definition: The system of healthcare provision in a country or region.
• Translation: Health care system
• Grammatical Category: Noun (de gezondheidszorgsysteem)
• Synonyms: gezondheidswezen (healthcare sector), zorgstelsel (care system)
• Antonyms: None directly applicable.
• Examples:
  • "Het Nederlandse gezondheidszorgsysteem staat onder druk." (The Dutch healthcare system is under pressure.)
  • "Er zijn plannen om het gezondheidszorgsysteem te hervormen." (There are plans to reform the healthcare system.)

10. Regional Variations:

Pronunciation of vowels can vary regionally in the Netherlands and Belgium. However, the core syllabification remains consistent. Some speakers might slightly reduce the vowel in "ge-", but this doesn't alter the syllable division.

11. Phonological Comparison:

• werksituatie (work situation): wer-si-tu-a-tie - Similar structure with compound nouns. Stress on the penultimate syllable.
• universiteitsbibliotheek (university library): u-ni-ver-si-teits-bi-bli-o-theek - Longer compound noun, demonstrating the consistent application of syllable division after each morpheme.
• probleemoplossing (problem solving): pro-bleem-op-los-sing - Demonstrates syllable division within a compound noun, similar to gezondheidszorgsysteem.