Diphthongs

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.

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

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.

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

Closing diphthongs
/ a /ɪ
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 notɪ
similar to any of the English monophthong
phonemes.

/ a /ɪ
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

Phoneme /e /ɪ
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.

/e /ɪ
FIRST TARGET:
Degree of raising Open-mid to close-mid
Lip position Slightly spread
GLIDE TO:
Lip position Slightly spread
SPELLING PATTERNS: a take ay clay ai main
ea break ei reign ey they

Phoneme / /ɔɪ
target position by raising the back
part of the tongue to a position
around the open-mid level
(somewhere between / :/ and / /)ɔ ɒ
target, by raising the front to central
close-mid position.

/ /ɔɪ
FIRST TARGET:
Part of the tongue Back
Degree of raising Open-mid (to close-mid)
Lip position Slightly rounded
GLIDE TO:
Degree of raising Close-mid
SPELLING PATTERNS oy toy oi voice

Phoneme / /ɑʊ
target position by raising the back
(to central) part of the tongue to a
very open position (similar to that
of / / )ɑː
target, by raising the back to central
close-mid position. The position of
the lips is changed from neutral to
slightly rounded.
/ /ɑʊ instead of /a /ʊ

/ /ɑʊ
FIRST TARGET:
Part of the tongue Back (to central)
Degree of raising Open
GLIDE TO:
Part of the tongue Back
Lip position Very slightly rounded
SPELLING PATTERNS ow now, brown ou
round, bound

Phoneme /ə /ʊ
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 shortɜː
schwa is used)
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.

/ə /ʊ
FIRST TARGET:
Part of the tongue Central
GLIDE TO:
Part of the tongue Back to central
Lip position Slightly rounded
SPELLING PATTERNS: o no, go, alone oa load,
goat ow know, bowl
ou soul oe toe

Centring diphthongs
Phoneme / ə/ɪ
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.
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.

Centering diphthongs
/ ə/ɪ
FIRST TARGET:
Lip position Very slightly spread
GLIDE TO:
SPELLING PATTERNS: ee, ea, ei, ie + r beer,
snear, weird, pier ere here

Phoneme / ə/ʊ
position by raising the back to
central part of the tongue to the
close-mid position, with the lips only
slightly rounded, almost neutral.
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.

/ ə/ʊ
FIRST TARGET:
Part of the tongue Back to central
Lip position Very slightly rounded
GLIDE TO :
SPELLING PATTERNS oo, ou, u + r poor, tour,
during ure pure

Phoneme / ə/ɛ
position by raising the front part of
the tongue to the open-mid
position, with neutral lips.
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.

/ ə/ɛ
FIRST TARGET:
Degree of raising Open to open-mid
GLIDE TO :
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

fire /fa ə/ andɪ hour / ə/ɑʊ vs.
higher /ha ə/ɪ and player /ple ə/.ɪ
the second pair obviously contains a
diphthong followed by a schwa (after
all, the schwa belongs to a separate
morpheme: high+er, play+er )
native speakers feel that fire /fa ə/ɪ
and hour / ə/ contain one vowel, aɑʊ
so-called thripthong

Diphthongs

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