Hyphenation ofembranquecer-lhes-eis

Analysis of "embranquecer-lhes-eis" (Portuguese)

1. Pronunciation Considerations:

The word "embranquecer-lhes-eis" is a conjugated verb form, specifically the future subjunctive of "embranquecer" combined with a pronoun and a personal ending. Pronunciation will involve liaison and vowel reduction in unstressed syllables, typical of Brazilian Portuguese (though European Portuguese will have slight differences).

2. Syllable Division:

Following Portuguese syllabification rules, which prioritize vowel sounds and consonant clusters, the division is as follows (using only the original letters):

em-bran-que-cer-lhes-eis

3. Morphemic Analysis:

• Prefix: em- (Latin) - Indicates an action being initiated or a change of state.
• Root: branq- (from branco - white, Latin blancus) - Relates to whiteness.
• Suffixes:
  • -ecer (Latin -escere) - Verb-forming suffix, indicating a process of becoming.
  • -lhes (Portuguese pronoun) - Indirect object pronoun ("to them").
  • -eis (Portuguese personal ending) - Second-person plural future subjunctive ending.

4. Stress Identification:

The primary stress falls on the penultimate syllable of the root: que. This is due to the presence of a stressed open syllable followed by a closed syllable.

5. Phonetic Transcription:

/ẽ.bɾɐ̃.ke.ˈseɾ.lɛʃ.ejs/ (Brazilian Portuguese)
/ẽ.bɾɐ̃.ke.ˈseɾ.lɨʃ.ɐjʃ/ (European Portuguese - slight vowel differences)

6. Syllable Breakdown & Rule Application:

• em-: /ẽ/ - Open syllable. Rule: Syllables are formed around vowel sounds. No consonant clusters to break up the syllable.
• bran-: /bɾɐ̃/ - Open syllable. Rule: Vowel followed by a consonant. Nasalization of the vowel.
• que-: /ˈke/ - Stressed, open syllable. Rule: Stress falls on the penultimate syllable.
• cer-: /ˈseɾ/ - Closed syllable. Rule: Consonant cluster r is part of the syllable.
• lhes-: /lɛʃ/ - Closed syllable. Rule: Vowel followed by consonant cluster sh.
• eis-: /ejs/ - Closed syllable. Rule: Vowel followed by consonant cluster js.

7. Edge Case Review:

The combination of pronouns and verb endings (-lhes-eis) is a common feature of Portuguese verb conjugation and doesn't present unusual syllabification challenges. The nasal vowel in bran- is typical and doesn't affect syllable division.

8. Grammatical Role:

The word is a verb form (future subjunctive). Syllabification remains consistent regardless of the verb's tense or mood.

9. Definition & Semantics:

• Word: embranquecer-lhes-eis
• Part of Speech: Verb (Future Subjunctive)
• Definitions:
  • "To whiten them" (literally)
  • "That you (plural) may whiten them" (functional translation)
• Translation: To whiten them (that you all may)
• Synonyms: alvejá-los-eis, branqueá-los-eis
• Antonyms: escurecer-lhes-eis (to darken them)
• Examples: "Se vocês quiserem, embranquecer-lhes-eis as roupas." (If you want, you may whiten their clothes.)

10. Regional Variations:

European Portuguese may pronounce the final s as /ʃ/ (sh) more consistently than Brazilian Portuguese, which may reduce it to a voiceless fricative or even drop it in some contexts. This doesn't affect the syllable division.

11. Phonological Comparison:

• cantar-lhes-eis: c-an-tar-lhes-eis - Similar structure, stress on the penultimate syllable of the root.
• falar-lhes-eis: f-a-lar-lhes-eis - Similar structure, stress on the penultimate syllable of the root.
• comer-lhes-eis: c-o-mer-lhes-eis - Similar structure, stress on the penultimate syllable of the root.

The consistency in syllable division across these words demonstrates the application of the same rules: vowel-centered syllables, stress on the penultimate syllable of the root, and consonant clusters remaining within syllables.