Diphthongs
A diphthong is a sound formed by
the combination of two vowels in a single syllable, in which the sound begins
as one vowel and moves towards another (as in coin, loud,
and side).
"Diphthong"
comes from the Greek word diphthongs.
It literally means "having two sounds." More specifically, diphthongs
deal with vowels. Every vowel has its own short sound and long vowel
sound. However, diphthongs come into play whenever a vowel makes a
new and different sound, usually because it's working in conjunction with
another vowel.
One
of the best diphthong examples is the word "oil." Here, we have two
vowels working side by side and, together, they create a sound different than
anything "O" or "I" alone can produce. And that's just
scratching the surface. Let's take a closer look.
Diphthongs
and Gliding Vowels
A
single vowel, such as the "O" or "I" in "oil" is
called a monophthong (mono for one, di for two). An example of a monophthong is
the "O" in "hop." But, when we move from one vowel sound to
another, such as the "oi" in "oil," it's called gliding. As
such, diphthongs are sometimes referred to as "gliding vowels."
Linguists
love studying diphthongs because they vary between dialects, languages, and
continents. For example, New Yorkers adopted a diphthong that features an
"aw" sound. An example would be the way certain New Yorkers pronounce
"dog" in a manner that sounds more like "dawg."
Likewise,
folks over in Birmingham, England adopted a diphthong that features an
"oi" sound, among others. An example would be how certain folks in
Birmingham pronounce "nice" in a manner that sounds more like
"noice."
American English Diphthongs
Considering
the intricacy of the subject, you won't be surprised to learn there are
dividing opinions about the number of diphthongs in American
English. Some will say eight; others ten.
You'll
notice that, in some of the examples below, there's only one vowel. How can
this be a diphthong, you say? Well, whenever there's movement in your mouth as
you pronounce the letter and it makes a long vowel sound, it's mimicking two
vowels. That's why the "di" or "two" remains, even though
there may be only one vowel written.
Perhaps
the easiest way to recognize a diphthong is to listen to the sound created by
the vowel or vowels when you say it out loud. If the vowel sound changes,
you've got yourself a diphthong. Without getting too detailed (or any more
confusing), let's look at eight of the heavy-hitters.
/aɪ/
This
diphthong uses letters and letter combinations like /i/, /igh/, and /y/ to form
sounds similar to "eye." Here are a few more examples:
·
Cry
·
My
·
Like
·
Bright
·
Lime
/eɪ/
This
diphthong uses letters and letter combinations like /ey/, /ay/, /ai/ and /a/ to
form sounds similar to "great." Here are a few more examples:
·
Bake
·
Rain
·
Lay
·
Eight
·
Break
/əʊ/
This
diphthong uses letters and letter combinations like /ow/, /oa/ and /o/ to form
sounds similar to "boat." Here are a few more examples:
·
Go
·
Oh
·
Slow
·
Loan
·
Though
/aʊ/
This
diphthong uses letters and letter combinations like /ou/ and /ow/ to form
sounds similar to "ow!" Here are a few more examples:
·
Bound
·
House
·
Brown
·
How
·
Now
/eə/
This
diphthong uses letters and letter combinations like /ai/, /a/, and /ea/ to form
sounds similar to "air." Here are a few more examples:
·
Pair
·
Lair
·
Stare
·
Care
·
Bear
/ɪə/
This
diphthong uses letters and letter combinations like /ee/, /ie/ and /ea/ to form
sounds similar to "ear." Here are a few more examples:
·
Career
·
Here
·
Near
·
Year
·
Pier
/ɔɪ/
This
diphthong uses letters and letter combinations like /oy/ and /oi/ to form
sounds similar to "oil." Here are a few more examples:
·
Boy
·
Coy
·
Toy
·
Foil
·
Coin
/ʊə/
This
diphthong uses letters and letter combinations like /oo/, /ou/, /u/, and /ue/
to form sounds similar to "cure." Here are a few more examples:
·
Fur
·
Sure
·
Lure
·
Pure
·
Manure
