Diphthong
From Academic Kids
In phonetics, a diphthong (Greek δίφθογγος, "diphthongos", literally "with two sounds") is a vowel combination usually involving a quick but smooth movement from one vowel to another, often interpreted by listeners as a single vowel sound or phoneme. While "pure" vowels, or monophthongs, are said to have one target tongue position, diphthongs have a moving tongue. Pure vowels are represented in the International Phonetic Alphabet by one symbol: English "seem" as Template:IPA, for example. Diphthongs are represented by two symbols, for example English "same" as Template:IPA, where the two vowel symbols are intended to represent approximately the beginning and ending tongue positions.
Falling diphthongs are stressed on the first element; rising diphthongs on the second. In Closing diphthongs, the second element is closer than the first; in opening diphthongs, more opened. A centering diphthong is one that begins with a more peripheral vowel and ends with a more central one, such as Template:IPA and Template:IPA in Irish. Some languages contrast short and long diphthongs.
The unstressed elements of the diphthongs may be transcribed as semivowels. However, when the whole diphthong is analysed as being one single phoneme, both elements are often transcribed as vowels.
Diphthongs in General American:
- Template:IPA as in house
- Template:IPA as in kite
- Template:IPA as in same
- Template:IPA as in few (This is phonemically analyzed as a sequence of a semivowel and a monophthong.)
- Template:IPA as in hope
- Template:IPA as in join
Diphthongs in British English (RP):
- Template:IPA as in hope
- Template:IPA as in house
- Template:IPA as in kite
- Template:IPA as in same
- Template:IPA as in few (This is phonemically analyzed as a sequence of a semivowel and a monophthong.)
- Template:IPA as in join
- Template:IPA as in fear
- Template:IPA as in hair
- Template:IPA as in poor
The latter three diphthongs also occur in the Boston accent.
(see International Phonetic Alphabet for English for more)
Diphthongs in Spanish:
- Template:IPA as in comedia
- Template:IPA as in tierra
- Template:IPA as in dio
- Template:IPA as in ciudad
- Template:IPA as in guante
- Template:IPA as in fuego
- Template:IPA as in pingüino
- Template:IPA as in ambiguo
- Template:IPA as in hay
- Template:IPA as in rey
- Template:IPA as in hoy
- Template:IPA as in muy
- Template:IPA as in Jauja
- Template:IPA as in feudo
Some Diphthongs in French:
- Template:IPA as in roi
- Template:IPA as in oui
- Template:IPA as in huit
- Template:IPA as in bien
- Template:IPA as in Ariège
Diphthongs in Finnish
- Template:IPA as in laiva
- Template:IPA as in keinu
- Template:IPA as in poika
- Template:IPA as in uida
- Template:IPA as in lyijy
- Template:IPA as in äiti
- Template:IPA as in öisin
- Template:IPA as in lauha
- Template:IPA as in leuto
- Template:IPA as in viulu
- Template:IPA as in koulu
- Template:IPA as in leyhyä
- Template:IPA as in siistiytyä
- Template:IPA as in täysi
- Template:IPA as in löytää
- Template:IPA as in kieli
- Template:IPA as in suo
- Template:IPA as in yö
Diphthongs in German:
- Template:IPA as in Reich
- Template:IPA as in Maus
- Template:IPA as in neu
Diphthongs in Northern Sami
- Template:IPA as in leat
- Template:IPA as in giella
- Template:IPA as in boahtit
- Template:IPA as in vuodjat
Some Diphthongs in Bernese German (a Swiss German dialect):
- Template:IPA as in Bier 'beer'
- Template:IPA as in Füess 'feet'
- Template:IPA as in Schue 'shoes'
- Template:IPA as in Stou 'holdup'
- Template:IPA as in Stau 'stable'
- Template:IPA as in Staau 'steel'
- Template:IPA as in Wäut 'world'
- Template:IPA as in wääut 'elects'
- Template:IPA as in tschúud 'guilty'
In Italian a vowel combination can be a dittongo (en. diphthong) or a iato (en. hiatus).
- paùra, faìna are not diphthongs.
- zaino, fuori, Europa are diphthongs.
- fuoco, fiume are rising diphthongs.
- faida, feudo are falling diphthongs.
See also
de:Diphthong eo:Diftongo fr:Diphtongue id:Diftong io:Diftongo nl:Tweeklank pl:Dyftong fi:Diftongi
