This document defines and describes English diphthongs. It explains that a diphthong is a glide between two vowel sounds. There are two types of English diphthongs: closing diphthongs that move from an open to a closed vowel, and centering diphthongs that move towards a schwa sound. It provides examples of common diphthongs like /eɪ/ in "day" and /ɑɪ/ in "time", and explains their phonetic production and spellings in words.

1. ENGLISH DIPHTHONGS
For this lesson it will undertake the definition of diphthongs, closing
diphthongs, centering diphthongs

2. DIPTHONG
A diphthong is a glide from on pure vowel
(monophthong) to another pure vowel.

3. O b j e c t i v e s
By the end of this lesson, you should
be able to identify and describe the
English diphthongs.

4. CLOSING DIPHTHONGS
These diphthongs are initiated by five
pure vowels, namely: /e ə æ ɑ ɔ/. They
glide or move towards two hosting pure
vowels, namely: /ɪ ʊ/, which happen to
be closing vowels. This is why these two
sets of pure vowels have given “birth”
to these closing diphthongs.

5. /eɪ/As the diphthong trapezium shows a glide that is initiated
around the half-close region of the mouth ends up at a region around
the close/back of the mouth. A glide such as this gives rise to the
closing diphthong above. It appears as:
a in: late, Kate, day

6. /eɪ/As the diphthong trapezium shows a glide that is initiated
around the half-close region of the mouth ends up at a region around
the close/back of the mouth. A glide such as this gives rise to the
closing diphthong above. It appears as:
ai in: rain, fail, wait

7. /eɪ/As the diphthong trapezium shows a glide that is initiated
around the half-close region of the mouth ends up at a region around
the close/back of the mouth. A glide such as this gives rise to the
closing diphthong above. It appears as:
ei in: eight, weight, rein

8. /eɪ/As the diphthong trapezium shows a glide that is initiated
around the half-close region of the mouth ends up at a region around
the close/back of the mouth. A glide such as this gives rise to the
closing diphthong above. It appears as:
ea in: great, break, steak

9. /əʊ/Like /eɪ/, this diphthong moves from the half-
close position to the close and back region. It appears as:
o in: sow, oh, both

10. /əʊ/Like /eɪ/, this diphthong moves from the half-
close position to the close and back region. It appears as:
oa in: soap, road, toast

11. /əʊ/Like /eɪ/, this diphthong moves from the half-
close position to the close and back region. It appears as:
oe in: foe, hoe, toe

12. /əʊ/Like /eɪ/, this diphthong moves from the half-
close position to the close and back region. It appears as:
ou in: soul, though, shoulder

13. /ɑɪ/This diphthong glides from a front open position near vowel
No. 4, /æ/, as indicated in the trapezium, to the front close region
where we have the hosting pure vowel no. 2, /ɪ/. Some varieties of the
diphthong extend till the front back of the mouth. It appears as:
i in: time, right, wide

14. /ɑɪ/This diphthong glides from a front open position near vowel
No. 4, /æ/, as indicated in the trapezium, to the front close region
where we have the hosting pure vowel no. 2, /ɪ/. Some varieties of the
diphthong extend till the front back of the mouth. It appears as:
y in: dry, why, by

15. /ɑɪ/This diphthong glides from a front open position near vowel
No. 4, /æ/, as indicated in the trapezium, to the front close region
where we have the hosting pure vowel no. 2, /ɪ/. Some varieties of the
diphthong extend till the front back of the mouth. It appears as:
ie, ye in: lie, die, pie

16. /ɑɪ/This diphthong glides from a front open position near vowel
No. 4, /æ/, as indicated in the trapezium, to the front close region
where we have the hosting pure vowel no. 2, /ɪ/. Some varieties of the
diphthong extend till the front back of the mouth. It appears as:
igh, in: fight, light, high

17. /ɑɪ/This diphthong glides from a front open position near vowel
No. 4, /æ/, as indicated in the trapezium, to the front close region
where we have the hosting pure vowel no. 2, /ɪ/. Some varieties of the
diphthong extend till the front back of the mouth. It appears as:
eigh in: height, freight

18. /ɑɪ/This diphthong glides from a front open position near vowel
No. 4, /æ/, as indicated in the trapezium, to the front close region
where we have the hosting pure vowel no. 2, /ɪ/. Some varieties of the
diphthong extend till the front back of the mouth. It appears as:
e, uy in: eye, buy, guy

19. /ɑɪ/This diphthong glides from a front open position near vowel
No. 4, /æ/, as indicated in the trapezium, to the front close region
where we have the hosting pure vowel no. 2, /ɪ/. Some varieties of the
diphthong extend till the front back of the mouth. It appears as:
ei, ai in: either, eider, aisle

20. /ɑʊ/ This is a counterpart to /ɑɪ/ but its host to which it
glides resides at the back close region. It appears as:
Ou, in: house, sound, bough, plough

21. /ɑʊ/ This is a counterpart to /ɑɪ/ but its host to which it
glides resides at the back close region. It appears as:
ow, in: now, cow, how

22. /ɔɪ/ This diphthong glides from the back open region to the
front close region. it appears as:
oy, in: boy, ploy

23. /ɔɪ/ This diphthong glides from the back open region to the
front close region. it appears as:
oi, in: noise, choice, point

24. /ɔɪ/ This diphthong glides from the back open region to the
front close region. it appears as:
uo, in: buoy

25. The Centering Diphthongs: /ɪə ɛə ʊə/
Look at the pure vowel
trapezium, locate the
centre of the mouth and
note a pair of pure
vowels prominently
located there. One of
the pairs, the schwa,
plays host to these four
diphthongs; this is the
reason they are
described as centering
diphthongs

26. /ɪə/This is a centring diphthong initiated from the
front close region. It appears as:
ee, ere, ea, in: deer, dear, here, tear

27. /ɪə/This is a centring diphthong initiated from the
front close region. It appears as:
ei, ie, in: weird, fierce,

28. /ɪə/This is a centring diphthong initiated from the
front close region. It appears as:
ea, ia, eu, eo, in:
idea, Ian, museum, theological

29. /ɛə/This centering diphthong is initiated at the
half-close region. It appears as:
are in: care, rare, share

30. /ɛə/This centering diphthong is initiated at the
half-close region. It appears as:
air in: fair, pair

31. /ɛə/This centering diphthong is initiated at the
half-close region. It appears as:
ear in: bear, pear, wear, tear

32. /ʊə/This diphthong begins at the close back region of
the mouth and goes on to meet the host at the centre of the
mouth. It appears as:
oor in: poor, moor

33. /ʊə/This diphthong begins at the close back region of
the mouth and goes on to meet the host at the centre of the
mouth. It appears as:
ure in: pure, endure, cure, sure

34. /ʊə/This diphthong begins at the close back region of
the mouth and goes on to meet the host at the centre of the
mouth. It appears as:
ur in: curious, spurious, during

35. /ʊə/This diphthong begins at the close back region of
the mouth and goes on to meet the host at the centre of the
mouth. It appears as:
ewer in: sewer

36. /ʊə/This diphthong begins at the close back region of
the mouth and goes on to meet the host at the centre of the
mouth. It appears as:
our in: sewer

37. /ʊə/This diphthong begins at the close back region of
the mouth and goes on to meet the host at the centre of the
mouth. It appears as:
our in: tour, dour, gourd

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ish_diphthongs_and_triphthongs.pdf