DIPHTHONGS

1
DIPHTHONGS

• Also called gliding vowels
• A significant glide from one articulatory
  position to another
• They have two target configurations represented
  by two vowel symbols joined together
• we will have to specify both targets in terms of
  the part of the tongue which is raised and in
  terms of the degree of tongue raising.

2

• the two targets (two elements of the diphthong)
  are rarely fully realised both most often, the
  second target is just aimed at
• diphthongs are conventionally represented in the
  vowel diagram by specifying the relative position
  of the first target element and drawing an arrow
  which just points in the direction of the second
  target element

3

• Sometimes the first and the second element of a
  diphthong will differ with respect to their
  characteristic lip position.
• Length, however, is not a distinctive feature
  when diphthongs are concerned, because all the
  eight of them belong to the set of long vowels.
• a diphthong is a single vowel segment, recognized
  as such by the native speakers, and distinguished
  from a sequence of two monophthongs.

4

• There are two sub-sets of diphthongs in English,
  distinguished by the nature of their second
  target, that is, by the direction in which the
  glide is made.
• closing diphthongs (5)-the glide is made from a
  more open to a more close position
• centring diphthongs (3)- the glide is made from a
  more peripheral to a more central position

5
Closing diphthongs

• / a? /
• The articulators assume the first target
  position by raising the rather front part of the
  tongue to a very open position, keeping the lips
  in a neutral position.
• A glide is made towards the second target, by
  raising the front to central part of the tongue
  towards the close-mid position.
• The first element of the diphthong /a?/ is not
  similar to any of the English monophthong
  phonemes.

6

• / a? /
• DISTINCTIVE FEATURES
• Type of articulation Vowel
• Manner of articulation Diphthong
• FIRST TARGET
• Part of the tongue Front
• Degree of raising Open
• Lip position Neutral
• GLIDE TO
• Part of the tongue Front to central
• Degree of raising Above close-mid
• Lip position Very slightly spread or neutral
• SPELLING PATTERNS i kind y spy ye dye
  ie die ei either eye eye
  eigh height igh high

7

• Phoneme /e?/
• The articulators assume the first target
  position by raising the front part of the tongue
  to a position between open-mid and close-mid with
  the lips in a slightly spread position
• A glide is made towards the second target, by
  raising the front to central part of the tongue
  towards the close-mid position.

8

• /e?/
• DISTINCTIVE FEATURES
• Type of articulation Vowel
• Manner of articulation Diphthong
• FIRST TARGET
• Part of the tongue Front
• Degree of raising Open-mid to close-mid
• Lip position Slightly spread
• GLIDE TO
• Part of the tongue Front to central
• Degree of raising Above close-mid
• Lip position Slightly spread
• SPELLING PATTERNS a take ay clay ai main
  ea break ei reign ey they

9

• Phoneme /??/
• The articulators assume the first target
  position by raising the back part of the tongue
  to a position around the open-mid level
  (somewhere between /?/ and /?/)
• A glide is made towards the second target, by
  raising the front to central part of the tongue
  towards the close-mid position.

10

• /??/
• DISTINCTIVE FEATURES
• Type of articulation Vowel
• Manner of articulation Diphthong
• FIRST TARGET
• Part of the tongue Back
• Degree of raising Open-mid (to close-mid)
• Lip position Slightly rounded
• GLIDE TO
• Part of the tongue Front to central
• Degree of raising Close-mid
• Lip position Neutral
• SPELLING PATTERNS oy toy oi voice

11

• Phoneme /??/
• The articulators assume the first target
  position by raising the back (to central) part of
  the tongue to a very open position (similar to
  that of /??/ )
• A glide is made towards the second target, by
  raising the back to central part of the tongue
  towards the close-mid position. The position of
  the lips is changed from neutral to slightly
  rounded.
• /??/ instead of /a?/

12

• /??/
• DISTINCTIVE FEATURES
• Type of articulation Vowel
• Manner of articulation Diphthong
• FIRST TARGET
• Part of the tongue Back (to central)
• Degree of raising Open
• Lip position Neutral
• GLIDE TO
• Part of the tongue Back
• Degree of raising Above close-mid
• Lip position Very slightly rounded
• SPELLING PATTERNS ow now, brown ou round,
  bound

13

• Phoneme /??/
• The articulators assume the first target
  position by raising the central part of the
  tongue to position between open-mid and
  close-mid. (this is the are of the long schwa
  /??/, but the symbol of the short schwa is used)
• A glide is made towards the second target, by
  raising the back to central part of the tongue
  towards the close-mid position. The position of
  the lips is changed from neutral to slightly
  rounded.

14

• /??/
• DISTINCTIVE FEATURES
• Type of articulation Vowel
• Manner of articulation Diphthong
• FIRST TARGET
• Part of the tongue Central
• Degree of raising Open-mid to close-mid
• Lip position Neutral
• GLIDE TO
• Part of the tongue Back to central
• Degree of raising Above close-mid
• Lip position Slightly rounded
• SPELLING PATTERNS o no, go, alone oa load,
  goat ow know, bowl
  ou soul oe toe

15
Centring diphthongs

• Phoneme /??/
• The articulators assume the first target
  position the front- to-central part of the
  tongue is raised to the close-mid position, and
  the lips are only slightly spread, almost
  neutral.
• A glide is made towards the second target, by
  lowering the central part of the tongue to
  position between open-mid and close-mid (roughly,
  the area of schwa), with the lips neutrally open.

16
Centering diphthongs

• /??/
• DISTINCTIVE FEATURES
• Type of articulation Vowel
• Manner of articulation Diphthong
• FIRST TARGET
• Part of the tongue Front to central
• Degree of raising Above close-mid
• Lip position Very slightly spread
• GLIDE TO
• Part of the tongue Central
• Degree of raising Open-mid to close-mid
• Lip position Neutral
• SPELLING PATTERNS ee, ea, ei, ie r beer,
  snear, weird, pier ere here

17

• Phoneme /??/
• The articulators assume the first target
  position by raising the back to central part of
  the tongue to the close-mid position, with the
  lips only slightly rounded, almost neutral.
• A glide is made towards the second target, by
  lowering the central part of the tongue to
  position between open-mid and close-mid (roughly,
  the area of schwa), with the lips neutrally open.

18

• /??/
• DISTINCTIVE FEATURES
• Type of articulation Vowel
• Manner of articulation Diphthong
• FIRST TARGET
• Part of the tongue Back to central
• Degree of raising Above close-mid
• Lip position Very slightly rounded
• GLIDE TO
• Part of the tongue Central
• Degree of raising Open-mid to close-mid
• Lip position Neutral
• SPELLING PATTERNS oo, ou, u r poor, tour,
  during ure pure

19

• Phoneme /??/
• The articulators assume the first target
  position by raising the front part of the tongue
  to the open-mid position, with neutral lips.
• A glide is made towards the second target, by
  raising the central part of the tongue to a
  position equally open (open-mid) as that of the
  first target. The lips remain neutral, too.

20

• /??/
• DISTINCTIVE FEATURES
• Type of articulation Vowel
• Manner of articulation Diphthong
• FIRST TARGET
• Part of the tongue Front
• Degree of raising Open to open-mid
• Lip position Neutral
• GLIDE TO
• Part of the tongue Front to central
• Degree of raising Below open-mid
• Lip position Very slightly spread or neutral
• SPELLING PATTERNS are hare air hair
  ear bear
  
• NB also there, their, heir

21

• fire /fa??/ and hour /???/ vs. higher /ha??/ and
  player /ple??/.
• the second pair obviously contains a diphthong
  followed by a schwa (after all, the schwa belongs
  to a separate morpheme higher, player )
• native speakers feel that fire /fa??/ and hour
  /???/ contain one vowel, a so-called thripthong