Diphthongs

1
Diphthongs

• Traditional Classification

2
Diphthongs

• Diphthongs have a prominent shift in resonance,
  usually in the form of an off-glide
• EX boy, how, view
• Theres a change in the adjustment of the vocal
  tract that takes place as diphthongs are produced
• Combination of 2 vowels
• The initiating target is the first vowel
• The terminating target is final vowel

3
Diphthongs

• Tension can go
• tense to lax OR
• lax to lax, BUT
• never lax to tense
• Advancement can go
• Front to front ??
• Front to back ??
• Back to back ??
• Back to front ??
• Height can go
• mid to high
• low to high

4
Many phoneticians regard diphthongs as a
combination of a vowel and glide (e.g., ?? and
??)Therefore, they do not include diphthongs
in their list of English sounds-dipthongs have
glide features
5
American English Diphthongs

• ?? high, file
• ?? ouch, house, brown, cow
• ?? boy, toy
• ?? weigh, play
• ?? bow, go
• ?? use, youth, cute, view, unit

6
American English Diphthongs

• ??
• Front to front low to high tense to lax
• ??
• Front to back low to high tense to lax
• ??
• Back to front mid to high lax to lax
• ??
• Front to front mid to high tense to lax
• Vowel e takes on diphthongal traits when it is
  pronounced as a stressed sound in words like
  play, weigh, bake
• If vowel is unstressed and short in duration, use
  e

7
American English Diphthongs

• ??
• Back to back mid to high tense to lax
• Vowel ? takes on diphthongal traits when it is
  pronounced as a stressed sound in words like
  bow goat
• ??
• Front to back high to high tense to tense

8
Centering Diphthongs

• Tongue glides from stable vowel toward ?
• ??
• ??
• ??
• ??
• ??

9
Centering Diphthongs

• ??
• Tongue glides from the lower high-front position
• Beard, hear, steer, pier, spirit, period, year
• ??
• Tongue glides from stable ? to ?
• Very, berry, wear, care, pair
• Variations
• ?? Mary, vary, carry
• ?? theyre, wear, care

10
Centering Diphthongs

• ??
• Off-glide from stable, low-back ? to central
  vowel position ?
• Art, heart, guard, are
• Variations
• ?? forest, forehead, foreign (more acceptable)

11
Centering Diphthongs

• ?? ??
• Glides from back vowel o or ? to central ?
• Allophones
• Morning mourning
• Horse hoarse
• Or oar

12
Centering Diphthongs

• ??
• Glide from high back vowel ? to central ?
• pure, sure
• Variations
• ? and ? often substituted for ??
• ?? ??? sure
• ??? ???? cure
• ?? ??? your