SYLLABIFICATION Meaning and
Definition
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Syllabification refers to the process of dividing a word into its constituent syllables based on the phonological structure of the word. It is a fundamental aspect of phonetics and linguistics that examines the organization and segmentation of speech sounds. Syllabification aims to identify the syllables in a word, which are units of pronunciation consisting of a vowel sound or a vowel sound with surrounding consonants.
During the syllabification process, words are analyzed, and the boundaries between syllables are determined. This involves identifying where one syllable ends and the next one begins. In English, syllabification is typically guided by guidelines such as vowel sounds and consonant clusters.
The syllabification of a word can vary depending on factors like dialect, accent, and individual speech patterns. It can also play a crucial role in determining stress patterns and pronunciation. For example, knowing the syllabification of a word can help in correctly emphasizing the stressed syllable, which is significant in the rhythm and meaning of spoken language.
Syllabification is not limited to spoken language only. It is also relevant in the field of computational linguistics, where algorithms are developed to automatically determine the syllables in words for tasks like text-to-speech synthesis and natural language processing.
In summary, syllabification is the process of dividing a word into its constituent syllables based on its phonetic composition. It plays a role in analyzing pronunciation patterns and can have implications for stress patterns and computational linguistics.
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The act of forming into syllables, or dividing words into syllables.
Etymological and pronouncing dictionary of the English language. By Stormonth, James, Phelp, P. H. Published 1874.
Common Misspellings for SYLLABIFICATION
Etymology of SYLLABIFICATION
The word "syllabification" comes from the combination of two terms: "syllable" and "fication".
The term "syllable" originated from the Latin word "syllaba" which, in turn, was derived from the Greek word "sullabḗ" meaning "a syllable". This Greek word was formed by combining "sun" (meaning "together") and "labein" (meaning "to take").
The suffix "-fication" is derived from the Latin suffix "-ficare" which means "to make" or "to do". When combined with "syllable", it forms the word "syllabification", which refers to the act of dividing words into syllables.
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