Hyphenation ofopeningstentoonstelling

Dutch Word Analysis: openingstentoonstelling

1. Examination & Pronunciation:

The word "openingstentoonstelling" (opening exhibition) is a 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:

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

3. Morphemic Analysis:

• Prefix: openings- (from openen 'to open') - Germanic origin, nominalizing suffix -ing + genitive suffix -s.
• Root: tentoon- (from tentoonstellen 'to exhibit') - Germanic origin, related to 'to show'.
• Suffix: -stelling (from stellen 'to set up, to place') - Germanic origin, nominalizing suffix.

4. Stress Identification:

The primary stress falls on the penultimate syllable: tentoon-stelling.

5. Phonetic Transcription:

/ˈoːpənɪŋsˌtɛnˈtoːnˌstɛlɪŋ/

6. Syllable Breakdown & Rule Application:

Here's a detailed breakdown of each syllable, with IPA transcription, rule application, and potential exceptions:

• o-pen-ing-s: /oː.pə.nɪŋ.s/
  • Rule: Consonant-Vowel (CV) division. 'p' follows a vowel 'o', creating a syllable boundary. 'n' follows a vowel 'i', creating a syllable boundary. 's' is a final consonant, forming a syllable.
  • Exception: The 'ng' cluster is often treated as a single unit, but here it's split due to the following 's'.
• ten-toon: /ˈtɛn.toːn/
  • Rule: CV division. 'n' follows a vowel 'e', creating a syllable boundary. 't' follows a vowel 'oo', creating a syllable boundary.
  • Exception: None.
• stel-ling: /ˌstɛ.lɪŋ/
  • Rule: CV division. 'l' follows a vowel 'e', creating a syllable boundary. 'ng' is a final consonant cluster, forming a syllable.
  • Exception: The 'ng' cluster is treated as a single unit.

7. Edge Case Review:

Dutch allows for complex consonant clusters, and the syllabification rules prioritize keeping consonant clusters intact within a syllable whenever possible. The compound nature of the word also presents a challenge, as each component has its own inherent syllabic structure.

8. Grammatical Role:

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

9. Definition & Semantics:

• Word: openingstentoonstelling
• Translation: opening exhibition
• Part of Speech: Noun
• Synonyms: openingshow, eerste tentoonstelling (first exhibition)
• Antonyms: sluiting (closing)
• Examples:
  • "De openingstentoonstelling trok veel bezoekers." (The opening exhibition attracted many visitors.)
  • "We bezochten de openingstentoonstelling van de nieuwe kunstenaar." (We visited the opening exhibition of the new artist.)

10. Regional Variations:

While the standard syllabification is as presented, some regional variations in pronunciation might subtly affect perceived syllable boundaries, particularly in the pronunciation of vowel length and diphthongs.

11. Phonological Comparison:

• voetbalwedstrijd (football match): voet-bal-wed-strijd - Similar CV division pattern.
• universiteitsbibliotheek (university library): u-ni-ver-si-teits-bi-bli-o-theek - Demonstrates the handling of longer compound words and consonant clusters.
• werkloosheidscijfers (unemployment figures): werk-loos-heids-cij-fers - Shows how suffixes are syllabified.

The differences in syllable division arise from the specific vowel and consonant sequences within each word, but the underlying CV principle remains consistent. The length of the word and the number of compound parts also influence the complexity of the syllabification.