Hyphenation ofunderrättelsekontakterna

Swedish Word Analysis: underrättelsekontakterna

1. Examination & Pronunciation:

The word "underrättelsekontakterna" is a complex noun in Swedish, meaning "the intelligence contacts." It's formed through compounding and affixation. Pronunciation involves a relatively even distribution of stress, with a slight emphasis on the final syllable.

2. Syllable Division:

The syllable division, adhering to the rule of maximizing onsets (consonant clusters at the beginning of a syllable) and avoiding stranded consonants, is as follows:

3. Morphemic Analysis:

• Prefix: under- (from Old Norse undr meaning "under, beneath"). Function: Intensifier, indicating a lower or secondary level.
• Root: rätt- (from Old Norse rett meaning "right, correct, justice"). Function: Core meaning related to information or correctness.
• Suffix 1: -else (from Old Norse eldr meaning "fire, speed"). Function: Forms the noun "underrättelse" meaning "intelligence, information".
• Suffix 2: -kontakterna (from Latin contactus via French). Function: Plural definite form of "kontakter" meaning "contacts".

4. Stress Identification:

The primary stress falls on the penultimate syllable: -tak- in "kon-tak-ter-na". Swedish stress is generally predictable, falling on the first syllable of the root word. However, compounding can shift the stress.

5. Phonetic Transcription:

/ʊnˌdɛrˈrɛtːɛlsɛˌkɔnˈtaktɛrna/

6. Edge Case Review:

Swedish allows for relatively complex consonant clusters, which can sometimes lead to ambiguity in syllable division. However, the principle of maximizing onsets generally resolves these cases.

7. Grammatical Role:

The word is primarily a noun. While theoretically, a similar structure could be used adjectivally (though less common), the syllabification would remain largely the same.

8. Definition & Semantics:

• Word: underrättelsekontakterna
• Grammatical Category: Noun (plural definite)
• Translation: The intelligence contacts
• Synonyms: informationskällorna (the information sources), spionkontakterna (the spy contacts)
• Antonyms: (Difficult to provide a direct antonym, as it's a specific type of contact)
• Examples:
  • "Polisen utredde underrättelsekontakterna för att avslöja den kriminella organisationen." (The police investigated the intelligence contacts to expose the criminal organization.)

9. Phonological Comparison:

• Väderstrecket: /vɛːdɛrˈstrɛkɛt/ - Syllables: vä-der-stre-cket. Similar in having consonant clusters, but less complex than "underrättelsekontakterna".
• Företagsledningen: /fœrɛˈtɑːɡslɛdːnɪŋən/ - Syllables: fö-re-tags-led-nin-gen. Demonstrates compounding and stress on the root syllable.
• Samarbetspartnerna: /samarˈbɛtsˌpartnɛrna/ - Syllables: sa-mar-be-ts-part-ner-na. Shows a similar pattern of affixation and compounding.

The differences in syllable division arise from the varying lengths and complexities of the root words and the number of affixes attached. "underrättelsekontakterna" has a longer root and more complex affixation, leading to a more intricate syllable structure.

Division Rules Applied:

• Onset Maximization: Consonant clusters are generally kept together at the beginning of a syllable (e.g., str- in strecket).
• Vowel Peak Principle: Each syllable must contain a vowel sound.
• Sonority Sequencing Principle: Syllables tend to follow a sonority hierarchy (vowels are more sonorous than consonants).