Hyphenation ofembalsamar-lhes-íamos

Analysis of "embalsamar-lhes-íamos" (Portuguese)

1. Pronunciation Considerations:

The word "embalsamar-lhes-íamos" is a conjugated verb form in Portuguese. It's a complex word formed by combining a verb stem, pronouns, and auxiliary verb elements. Pronunciation will follow standard Portuguese rules, with attention to nasal vowels and vowel reduction in unstressed syllables.

2. Syllable Division:

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

3. Morphemic Analysis:

• Prefix: em- (Latin origin, prefix indicating "in" or "within", functions as an intensifier or to initiate an action)
• Root: balsam- (Latin balsamum, from Greek balsamon, meaning "balm", related to the verb "embalsamar" - to embalm)
• Suffixes:
  • -ar (verbal infinitive ending, indicates verb category)
  • -lhes (indirect object pronoun, 3rd person plural - "to them")
  • -íamos (imperfect indicative ending, 1st person plural - "we would")

4. Stress Identification:

The primary stress falls on the penultimate syllable: sá.

5. Phonetic Transcription:

/ẽ.bal.sa.ˈmaɾ.ʎes.ˈi.ɐ.muʃ/

6. Syllable Breakdown & Rule Application:

Division Rules Applied:

• Vowel Rule: Vowels generally form their own syllables.
• Consonant Cluster Rule: Consonant clusters are broken according to sonority hierarchy and permissible combinations.
• Penultimate Stress Rule: Words ending in vowels, 'n', or 's' are generally stressed on the penultimate syllable.

7. Exceptions & Special Cases:

• The 'lh' digraph requires special consideration as it represents a single phoneme.
• The nasal vowel /ẽ/ in the first syllable is common in Portuguese.
• The final 'mos' syllable exhibits vowel reduction and palatalization of the 'l' sound.

8. Grammatical Role & Syllabification Shifts:

The word is a verb form. If "embalsamar" were used as a noun (though rare), the stress would remain on the penultimate syllable, and the syllabification would not change.

9. Definition & Semantics:

• Word: embalsamar-lhes-íamos
• Part of Speech: Verb (Imperfect Indicative)
• Definitions:
  • "We would embalm them."
  • "We used to embalm them."
• Translation: We would embalm them.
• Synonyms: preservar-lhes-íamos (we would preserve them), conservar-lhes-íamos (we would conserve them)
• Antonyms: decompor-lhes-íamos (we would decompose them)
• Examples:
  • "Na antiga civilização, embalsamar-lhes-íamos os faraós para a vida após a morte." (In the ancient civilization, we would embalm the pharaohs for the afterlife.)

10. Regional Variations:

Pronunciation of the final 'mos' syllable can vary slightly between regions. In some dialects, the 'sh' sound might be less pronounced.

11. Phonological Comparison:

All three words share a similar CVC syllable structure in their final syllables. The differences lie in the initial syllables, reflecting the different root morphemes. "Embalsamar" has a prefix, influencing its initial syllable structure. The consistent application of vowel-based syllabification and consonant cluster rules is evident across these examples.