Diphthongs Flashcards
Characteristics of diphthongs
Vowels with 2 sound qualities b/c of the gradual movement of the articulators
Replaced in phonetic transcription by a digraph (2-element) symbol
Diphthong phonetic symbols have 2 parts:
on-glide - initial segment (articulatory origin)
off-glide - final segment (articulatory destination)
Bar is placed over the 2 symbols to show they are joined
/ɔī/, ɑʊ/, /ɑɪ/, /ēī/, /ōʊ/ (this is NOT IPA)
Choice of digraph is NOT easy or straightforward because of phonetic context (co-articulation), speaking rate, + degree of stress
Phonetic symbols used are at best APPROXIMATIONS and should not be taken as finite descriptions of the movement that an individual speaker makes
Diphthong Phonetic Symbols have 2 parts
On-glide - initial segment (articulatory origin)
Off-glide - final segment (articulatory destination)
Dipthongs
/ɑɪ/ (hi, bye, ice)
/ɔɪ/ (boy, foil)
/ɑʊ/ (cow, cloud)
/eɪ/ * (day, straight)
/oʊ/ * (toe, own)
*These last two are the diphthong counterpart to the monophthongs we learned earlier
Monophthong vs. Diphthong
Bind /b ɑɪ n d/
Loin /l ɔɪ n/
Down /d ɑʊ n/
Bond /b ɑ n d/
Lawn /l ɑ n/
Don /d ɑ n/
In Standard American English, the diphthongs /ɑɪ/ (bye), /ɔɪ/ (boy), and /ɑʊ/ (down) cannot be reduced or simplified to a monophthong without a change in phonemic identity (thus potentially changing the word)
Monophthongization (reduction to a single element is more common in Southern American English and African American English (AAE)
Diphthong /ɑɪ/ (BYE)
Lips: usually unrounded
Jaw: mid-open then closes
Tongue: low-back onglide, moves to mid-front or high-front offglide
Dipthong /ɑɪ/ transcription
Sigh /s ɑɪ/
Might /m ɑɪ t/
Mine /m ɑɪ n/
Tyke /t ɑɪ k/
Like /l ɑɪ k/
Brine /B r ɑɪ n/
Silo /s ɑɪ l oʊ/
Rhyme /r ɑɪ m/
Friday /f r ɑɪ d eɪ/
Riot /r ɑɪ ə t/
Rhyme /r ɑɪ m/
Ice /ɑɪ s/
Bicycle /b ɑɪ s ɪ k ə l/
Lightning /l ɑɪ t n ɪ ŋ/
Diphthong /ɔɪ/ (Boy)
Lips: movement from rounded to unrounded
Jaw: mid-position, but but may close slightly at offglide
Tongue: moves from low-back to mid-high front
Diphthong /ɔɪ/ (Boy) Transcription
ploy /p l ɔɪ/
toy /t ɔɪ/
roy /r ɔɪ/
sirloin /s ɝ l ɔɪ n/
boil /b ɔɪ l/
oil /ɔɪ l/
point /p ɔɪ n t/
decoy /d i k ɔɪ/
anoint /ə n ɔɪ n t/
typhoid /t aɪ f ɔɪ d/
destroy /d ə s t r ɔɪ/
annoy /ə n ɔɪ/
turquoise /t ɝ k ɔɪ z/
alloy /æ l ɔɪ/
Diphthong /ɑʊ/ (cow)
Lips: movement from relatively open unrounded to rounded
Jaw: mid-open for onglide; often closes for offglide
Tongue: low-back onglide to mid-back or high-mid back for offglide
Diphthong /ɑʊ/ (cow) Transcription
cow /k ɑʊ/
round /r ɑʊ n d/
downtown /d ɑʊ n t aʊ n/
clown /k l ɑʊ n/
stout /s t ɑʊ t/
couch /k ɑʊ ʧ/
aloud /ə l ɑʊ d/
household /h ɑʊ s h o l d/
outcast /ɑʊ t k æ s t/
doubtful /d ɑʊ t f ʊ l/
downspout /d ɑʊ n s p ɑʊ t/
astound /ə s t ɑʊ n d/
chowder /ʧ ɑʊ d ɚ/
tower /t ɑʊ ɚ/
Diphthong /eɪ/ (Bay)
Lips: mid-open and rounded
Jaw: mid and may close some
Tongue: moves from mid-front /e/ to a high-mid front /ɪ/
Diphthong /eɪ/ (Bay) Transcription
way /w eɪ/
paid /p eɪ d/
trade /t r eɪ d/
ate /eɪ t/
main /m eɪ n/
neighbor /n eɪ b ɚ/
tuesday /t u z d eɪ/
today /t ə d eɪ/
Diphthong /oʊ/ (Bow)
Lips: Rounded with progressive narrowing
Jaw: mid-open; often closes slightly
Tongue: moves from mid-back /o/ to high-back /ʊ/
Diphthong /oʊ/ (Bow) Transcription
sew /s oʊ/
no /n oʊ/
slow /s l oʊ/
beau /b oʊ/
hoe /h oʊ/
molded /m oʊ l d ə d/
shoulder /ʃ oʊ l d ɚ/
float /f l oʊ t/
toaster /t oʊ s t ɚ/
loaned /l oʊ n d/
roaming /r oʊ m ɪ ŋ/
rolling /r oʊ l ɪ ŋ/
Articulatory Modifications
Nasalization
- vowels that are adjacent to a nasal sound are generally nasalized somewhat
Reduction in stress on the vowel
- in connected speech vowels often get reduced to /ə/
Rhotacization
- vowels can become rhotacized when adjacent to /r/
