Hyphenation ofmeerderheidsbesluiten

Linguistic Analysis of "meerderheidsbesluiten" (Dutch)

1. Examination & Pronunciation:

The word "meerderheidsbesluiten" is a Dutch noun meaning "majority decisions." It's a complex word formed through compounding and derivation. Pronunciation involves a mix of vowel qualities and consonant clusters typical of Dutch.

2. Syllable Division:

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

3. Morphemic Analysis:

• meerderheids-: Derived from "meerderheid" (majority).
  • meer (more) - Germanic origin.
  • -der (comparative suffix) - Germanic origin.
  • -heid (noun-forming suffix, denoting state or quality) - Germanic origin.
• be-: Prefix indicating "decision" or "resolution" - Germanic origin.
• sluit-: Root verb "sluiten" (to close, to decide) - Germanic origin.
• -en: Plural suffix - Germanic origin.

4. Stress Identification:

The primary stress falls on the third syllable: der-heids-be-slui-ten. Dutch stress is generally on the penultimate syllable, but compounding and derivational morphology can shift it.

5. Phonetic Transcription:

/ˈmeːrdərˌɦɛitsbəˈslœytən/

6. Edge Case Review:

Dutch syllabification allows for consonant clusters at the beginning and end of syllables. The 'rd' cluster in 'meerder' is a common example. The 'sl' cluster is also permissible.

7. Grammatical Role:

The word is exclusively a noun. Its syllabification and stress remain consistent regardless of its grammatical function within a sentence.

8. Definition & Semantics:

• Word: meerderheidsbesluiten
• Grammatical Category: Noun (plural)
• English Translation: Majority decisions
• Synonyms: meerderheidsresoluties (majority resolutions)
• Antonyms: minderheidsbesluiten (minority decisions)
• Examples:
  • "De raad nam de meerderheidsbesluiten aan." (The council approved the majority decisions.)
  • "De meerderheidsbesluiten werden gepubliceerd." (The majority decisions were published.)

9. Phonological Comparison:

• woordenboek (dictionary): wo-or-den-boek - Similar syllable structure with consonant clusters.
• universiteit (university): u-ni-ver-si-teit - Demonstrates the typical penultimate stress pattern.
• rechtszaak (lawsuit): rechts-zaak - Shows how compounding affects syllable division.

Detailed Syllable Analysis:

Division Rules Applied:

1. Vowel-Initial Syllable: Syllables starting with a vowel are separated.
2. Consonant Cluster Rule: Consonant clusters are generally maintained within a syllable, unless they are easily separable based on sonority.
3. Vowel-Consonant-Consonant (VCC): Syllables ending in VCC are divided accordingly.

Special Considerations:

The compound nature of the word requires careful consideration of morphemic boundaries when determining syllable divisions. The stress pattern is influenced by the compounding.

Alternative Pronunciations/Regional Variations:

Regional variations in vowel pronunciation might exist, but they generally don't affect the syllable division.