Hyphenation ofoverlevingspensioen

Dutch Word Analysis: overlevingspensioen

1. Examination & Pronunciation:

The word overlevingspensioen is a compound noun in Dutch, meaning "survivor's pension." It's a relatively long word, and its pronunciation follows standard Dutch phonological rules, with vowel reductions in unstressed syllables being a key feature.

2. Syllable Division:

Following Dutch syllabification rules, which generally favor maximizing onsets (consonant clusters at the beginning of a syllable), the word is divided as follows (using only the original letters):

3. Morphemic Analysis:

• over-: Prefix (Dutch, meaning "over," "surviving")
• levings-: Root (derived from leven - "to live," related to "life")
• pensioen: Root (Dutch, meaning "pension," ultimately from Latin pensio)

4. Stress Identification:

The primary stress falls on the antepenultimate syllable (pen-). This is typical for Dutch words of this length and structure.

5. Phonetic Transcription:

/oːvərˈleːvɪŋsˌpɛnsiˈoːn/

6. Syllable Breakdown & Rule Application:

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

• o-ver /oː/ - /vər/ : Rule: Consonant-Vowel (CV) pattern. The 'v' is part of the onset of the second syllable. Exception: The initial vowel 'o' forms a syllable on its own.
• le-vings /lə/ - /vɪŋs/ : Rule: CV pattern. 'v' initiates the onset of the second syllable. 'ng' is a valid Dutch consonant cluster.
• pen-sioen /pɛn/ - /siˈoːn/ : Rule: CV pattern. 's' initiates the onset of the second syllable. Stress falls on this syllable.
• si-oen /si/ - /oːn/ : Rule: CV pattern.

7. Edge Case Review:

Dutch allows for complex consonant clusters, and the 'ng' in levings is a common example. The vowel reduction in unstressed syllables (e.g., the 'e' in levings becoming /ɪ/) is also a typical feature.

8. Grammatical Role:

overlevingspensioen is primarily a noun. Syllabification and stress remain consistent regardless of grammatical function (as it's not inflected).

9. Definition & Semantics:

• Word: overlevingspensioen
• Part of Speech: Noun
• Definitions:
  • "A pension paid to surviving dependents."
  • Translation: Survivor's pension
• Synonyms: nabestaandenpensioen (dependents' pension)
• Antonyms: None directly applicable.
• Examples:
  • "Zij ontvangt een overlevingspensioen van haar overleden echtgenoot." (She receives a survivor's pension from her deceased husband.)
  • "Het overlevingspensioen wordt berekend op basis van de opgebouwde pensioenrechten." (The survivor's pension is calculated based on the accrued pension rights.)

10. Alternative Pronunciations/Regional Variations:

Regional variations in vowel pronunciation exist in Dutch, but they generally don't affect syllable division. Some speakers might pronounce the 'o' in over slightly more open or closed, but the syllabic structure remains the same.

11. Phonological Comparison:

• levensverzekering (life insurance): le-vens-ver-ze-ke-ring. Similar CV structure, stress on the antepenultimate syllable.
• werkloosheidsuitkering (unemployment benefit): werk-loos-heids-uit-ke-ring. Similar complex consonant clusters and CV patterns.
• pensioenfonds (pension fund): pen-si-oen-fonds. Shares the pensioen root, demonstrating consistent syllabification.