Hyphenation ofnierbekkenontstekingen

Dutch Word Analysis: nierbekkenontstekingen

1. Examination & Pronunciation:

The word "nierbekkenontstekingen" (kidney infections) is a complex noun in Dutch, formed through compounding. Its pronunciation involves a series of vowel and consonant clusters typical of Dutch morphology.

2. Syllable Division:

Following Dutch syllabification rules, which generally favor open syllables (CV) and avoid leaving consonant clusters at the end of syllables, the division is as follows (using only original letters):

nier-bek-ken-on-t-ste-kin-gen

3. Morphemic Analysis:

• nier-: Root. Origin: Germanic (related to "kidney"). Morphological function: Denotes the organ, kidney.
• bek-ken: Root. Origin: Germanic (related to "basin"). Morphological function: Denotes the renal pelvis.
• on-: Prefix. Origin: Germanic. Morphological function: Forms a noun from a verb, indicating the state of being infected.
• t-ste-: Root. Origin: Germanic (related to "steken" - to sting, to infect). Morphological function: Indicates the action of inflammation/infection.
• kin-: Root. Origin: Germanic. Morphological function: Part of the verb root.
• gen: Suffix. Origin: Germanic. Morphological function: Forms a plural noun.

4. Stress Identification:

The primary stress falls on the antepenultimate syllable: "ste".

5. Phonetic Transcription:

/ˈniːrˌbɛkənɔnˈtɛstəkinɣən/

6. Edge Case Review:

Dutch allows for some flexibility in syllable division, particularly with consonant clusters. However, the proposed division adheres to the principle of maximizing open syllables.

7. Grammatical Role:

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

8. Definition & Semantics:

• Definition: Kidney infections; inflammation of the renal pelvis.
• Grammatical Category: Noun (plural)
• Translation: Kidney infections
• Synonyms: Nierinfecties, pyelonefritis (medical term)
• Antonyms: Gezonde nieren (healthy kidneys)
• Examples:
  • "Ze is naar de dokter geweest vanwege nierbekkenontstekingen." (She went to the doctor because of kidney infections.)
  • "Nierbekkenontstekingen kunnen ernstige gevolgen hebben." (Kidney infections can have serious consequences.)

9. Phonological Comparison:

• handdoeken (towels): han-doek-en. Similar syllable structure with consonant clusters. Stress on the second syllable.
• voetballen (to play football): voe-tbal-len. Similar vowel and consonant combinations. Stress on the second syllable.
• computerprogramma (computer program): com-pu-ter-pro-gram-ma. Longer compound word, demonstrating the consistent application of syllabification rules. Stress on the 'gram' syllable.

The differences in stress placement are due to the inherent rhythmic patterns of Dutch and the morphological structure of each word.

10. Division Rules:

• Rule 1: Open Syllable Preference: Dutch favors open syllables (CV). This is applied throughout the word, breaking up consonant clusters where possible.
• Rule 2: Consonant Cluster Division: When consonant clusters occur, they are divided to create pronounceable syllables. For example, "on-t-ste".
• Rule 3: Compound Word Syllabification: Compound words are syllabified as if they were separate words joined together.

11. Special Considerations:

The "bekken" part can sometimes be pronounced with a schwa /ə/ sound in informal speech, but the syllabification remains the same. Regional variations in pronunciation might affect vowel quality but not syllable division.