DIPHTHONGS

Diphthong Presentation Format

Transcription
Pronunciation

Eka Andriyani, S.Pd., M.Hum

What is a diphthong?
 “Diphthong is a vowel sound in which the tongue
changes position to produce the sound of two
vowels”.
(Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary)

• “Diphthong is a single sound produced when two

vowels (one dominant in duration and stress, and
one reduced in duration and stress), are paired
together in a sequence”.
(Linda I. House: Introductory Phonetics and Phonology).
 There are eight diphthongs commonly
used in English. They are: /eɪ/, /aɪ/,
/əʊ/, /aʊ/, /ɔɪ/, /ɪə/, /eə/, and /ʊə/.
 It is important to note that the close combination of
the two vowels causes each of the vowels to lose its
pure quality. For instance, the /ɪ/ in [aɪ] is quite
different from the /ɪ/ in [ɪt].

 In phonological patterns, diphthongs are labeled

using a single “V” (not “V V”) because they act
as one sound.

 Although diphthongs are considered as the

combination of two vowels, never put the length
marker (ː) when combine and transcribe them in
phonetic symbols.
 PRESENTATION FORMAT:
Diphthongs The First Vowels: The Second Vowels:
: Closeness: Frontness: Rounding: Closeness: Frontness: Rounding:

[eɪ] open-mid front unrounded near-close near-front unrounded

[aɪ] open back unrounded near-close near-front unrounded

[əʊ] mid central unrounded near-close near-back rounded

[aʊ] open back unrounded near-close near-back rounded

[ɔɪ] open-mid back rounded near-close near-front unrounded

[ɪə] near-close near-front unrounded mid central unrounded

[eə] open-mid front unrounded mid central unrounded

[ʊə] near-close near-back rounded mid central unrounded

 Because diphthongs are composed of vowels, they
are also described using the parameters of
closeness (height), frontness, and rounding.

 The parameters are listed using vowel closeness

(height), frontness, and rounding of the first vowel
and then followed by the second vowel.

Thus, to make a sound parameter of /eɪ/ for example, we can

describe it as:

“/eɪ/ is an open-mid, front, unrounded vowel moving to

near-close, near-front, unrounded vowel ”.
 The Phonetic Transcriptions of the
English Diphthongs in Words:

Phonetic
Diphthong: Word:
Transcription:

[eɪ] pay /peɪ/

[aɪ] five /faɪv/
[əʊ] home /həʊm/
[aʊ] now /naʊ/
[ɔɪ] join /dʒɔɪn/
[ɪə] near /nɪə(r)/
[eə] hair /heə(r)/
[ʊə] pure /pjʊə(r)/
(1) /aI/
 The /a/ is longer in duration and forms
the nucleus of the diphthong, while /ɪ/ is
shorter and unstressed.

 Time /taɪm/
 Fly /flaɪ/
 Tie /taɪ/
(2) /aʊ/
 The /a/ is longer in duration and forms
the nucleus of the diphthong, while the
/ʊ/ is shorter and unstressed.

 Cow /kaʊ/
 Loud /laʊd/
 How /haʊ/
(3) /ɔɪ/
 The /ɔ/ in longer in duration and forms
the nucleus of the diphthong, while the
/ɪ/ is shorter and unstressed.

 Boy /bɔɪ/
 Boil /bɔɪl/
 Oil /ɔɪl/
(4) /eɪ/
 The /e/ is longer in duration and forms
the nucleus of the diphthong, while the
/ɪ/ is shorter and unstressed.

 Say /seɪ/
 Brain /breɪn/
 Game /geɪm/
(5) /eə/
 The /e/ is longer in duration and forms
the nucleus of the diphthong, while the
/ə/ is shorter and unstressed.

 There /ðeə(r)/
 Bear /beə(r)/
 Share /ʃeə(r)/
(6) /ɪə/
 The /ɪ/ is longer in duration and forms
the nucleus of the diphthong, while /ə/ is
shorter and unstressed.

 Here /hɪə(r)/
 Dear /dɪə(r)/
 Gear /gɪə(r)/
(7) /ʊə/
 The /ʊ/ is longer in duration and forms
the nucleus of the diphthong, while /ə/ is
shorter and unstressed.

 Pure /pjʊə(r)/
 Purify /pjʊərɪfaɪ/
 You’re /jʊə(r)/
(8) /əʊ/
 The /ə/ is longer in duration and forms
the nucleus of the diphthong, while /ʊ/ is
shorter and unstressed.

 Toast /təʊst/
 Coke /kəʊk/
 Globe /gləʊb/
 Diphthongs can appear in the initial, medial, or final
position of words, such as in:
aisle /aIl/ → initial position
bear /beə(r)/ → medial position
buy /baɪ/ → final position

To label the combinations and the order of phonemes in a

syllable or a word, the phonological patterns are used.
For examples:
aisle /aIl/ = VC (Vowel-Consonant)
bear /beə(r)/ = CVC (Consonant-Vowel-Consonant)
buy /baɪ/ = CV (Consonant-Vowel)
 EXERCISE:
 Transcribe the following contrast into
phonetics and label the phonological pattern
(remember the diphthong counts as one V
(vowel)).

For example: night [nait] = CVC (n ai t)

C V C
 PHONETIC
PHONETIC LABEL
WORD: WORD: TRANSCRIPTIO LABEL:
TRANSCRIPTION :
N
mice ……………… ? mouse ……………… ?
bye ……………… ? bout ……………… ?
high ……………… ? how ……………… ?
file ……………… ? fowl ……………… ?
find ……………… ? found ……………… ?
type ……………… ? taste ……………… ?
bite ……………… ? bound ……………… ?
dine ……………… ? down ……………… ?
nine ……………… ? noun ……………… ?
ply ……………… ? plow ……………… ?
 PHONETIC
PHONETIC LABEL
WORD: WORD: TRANSCRIPTIO LABEL:
TRANSCRIPTION :
N
toy ……………… ? tie ……………… ?
say ……………… ? brain ……………… ?
boy ……………… ? buy ……………… ?
voice ……………… ? vise ……………… ?
point ……………… ? pain ……………… ?
oil ……………… ? aisle ……………… ?
poise ……………… ? pie ……………… ?
coke ……………… ? globe ……………… ?
dear ……………… ? hear ……………… ?
ANSWER:
 PHONETIC
PHONETIC LABEL
WORD: WORD: TRANSCRIPTIO LABEL:
TRANSCRIPTION :
N
mice [maɪs] CVC mouse [maʊs] CVC
bye [baɪ] CV bout [baʊt] CVC
high [haɪ] CV how [haʊ] CV
file [faɪl] CVC fowl [faʊl] CVC
find [faɪnd] CVCC found [faʊnd] CVCC
type [taɪp] CVC taste [teɪst] CVCC
bite [baɪt] CVC bound [baʊnd] CVCC
dine [daɪn] CVC down [daʊn] CVC
nine [naɪn] CVC noun [naʊn] CVC
ply [plaɪ] CCV plow [plaʊ] CCV
 PHONETIC
PHONETIC LABEL
WORD: WORD: TRANSCRIPTIO LABEL:
TRANSCRIPTION :
N
toy [tɔɪ] CV tie [taɪ] CV
say [seɪ] CV brain [breɪn] CCVC
boy [bɔɪ] CV buy [baɪ] CV
voice [vɔɪs] CVC vise [vaɪs] CVC
point [pɔɪnt] CVCC pain [peɪn] CVC
oil [ɔɪl] VC aisle [aɪl] VC
poise [pɔɪz] CVC pie [paɪ] CV
coke [kəʊk] CVC globe [gləʊb] CCVC
dear [dɪə(r)] CVC hear [hɪə(r)] CVC