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Diphthong

Phonetics:

dɪfθɒŋ

Pronunciation:

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Diving Deep into Diphthongs in English Grammar

Comprehensive Definition, Description, Examples & Rules

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What will you learn

Have you ever wondered how we could divide words with similar sounds into vowels and consonants in order to make the alphabet function properly? Even differences in sound have their own names, and today we are going to study something called diphthongs. In order to improve our learning and get a better grasp of grammar, let’s get a quick understanding of it.

What is a diphthong?

When it comes to phonetics, a diphthong is a verbal transition that, when pronouncing a word, goes from one continuous sound to another continuous sound. A combination of two vowel sounds that are contained within a single syllable is referred to as a diphthong in grammar.

Definition of Diphthongs

According to Collins Dictionary, we can define diphthong as “A diphthong is a vowel in which the speaker’s tongue changes position while it is being pronounced so that the vowel sounds like a combination of two other vowels.”

The Importance of Learning Diphthongs in English Pronunciation

Learning diphthongs at a young age has several important benefits. Not only does it help a person become more proficient in a language and learn it more effectively, but it also assists a person in developing their phonetics and reduces issues with their accent. Let’s have a proper look at the importances together, shall we?

It contributes to more clarity.

The use of diphthongs helps to clarify speech, allowing individuals who are not native English speakers to comprehend the language more effectively and ultimately excel in it.

Fluency and pronunciation are both improved as a result.

It is possible for a person to recite poetry or a stage play very well with harmony and rhyming words elevating it to a higher level by improving their fluency as well as their pronunciation using the same transition of phonetics, i.e., vowels.

The Difference Between Vowels And Diphthongs

The sounds “ae,” “o,” and “ee” are examples of vowels, which are specific pronunciations. There are a total of five sounds in vowels that are related to the letters “a”, “e”, “i”, and “o.” and “u”. These vowels are able to combine with consonants to form a variety of sounds.

Words that contain diphthongs are ones in which the vowels do not continue as a transition with the following consonant but instead conclude with a vowel in the same syllable continually. There are eight different diphthongs, which are: /e/ like the word “day,” /a/ like the word “time,” /b/ as in “boy,” /a/ as in “house,” and so on and so forth. /o/ like in “go,” /ju/ like in “you,” /e/ like in “air,” and // like in “ear.” Diphthongs have a more continuous sound than pure vowels, but their pronunciation is more condensed than that of pure vowels.

Understanding Diphthong Sounds

In further sections, let us understand the diphthong meaning better to proceed with their types. Keep reading.

How Diphthongs are Formed in Speech

Since we are all aware that diphthongs are comprised of two vowels in a single syllable, the first syllabus that we speak in a diphthong is known as the starting point, and the second or the last syllable that we continually speak after the first syllable by gliding a tongue moments smoothly finishing the word is known as the target or the ending point. The particular way in which vowels in a single syllable are pronounced is called a diphthong, and the entire process of pronouncing the word is referred to as a diphthong.

Identifying Diphthongs in Words and Sentences

While identifying a diphthong, one should always check out vowel-sounding words that are noticeable and have two within 1 syllable or breath. We can take a diphthong example like a coin where two vowel sounds can be heard in one word.

Common Diphthong Sounds in English

Here are some Common Diphtong Sounds in English. Take a look:

/eɪ/ as in “day” (e.g., play, rain)
/aɪ/ as in “time” (e.g., light, right)
/ɔɪ/ as in “boy” (e.g., toy, voice)
/aʊ/ as in “house” (e.g., down, how)
/oʊ/ as in “go” (e.g., home, know)
/juː/ as in “you” (e.g., cute, music)
/eə/ as in “air” (e.g., bear, care)
/ɪə/ as in “ear” (e.g., near, fear)

Tips for Pronouncing Diphthongs Correctly

There are many different suggestions that one might implement in order to learn the diphthongs more effectively.

One must always keep an eye out for the beginning and ending points of the syllable as well as the sounds of the vowels in order to guarantee that there are the appropriate ups and downs as well as pitch associated with the pronunciation and the sound.
If you want to improve your pronunciation, you should always practice by watching and listening to videos on YouTube and other internet resources created by native speakers or teachers. To receive the best possible results, the videos should be specifically created from phonetics classes.
In addition, one should maintain a regular conversations with their international friends so that they can instruct them on the correct pronunciation of the word.
People should work on their pronunciation of diphthongs daily to ensure that their speech is understandable and utilize language correctly.

Classification of Diphthongs

Let us know about different types of diphthongs one can use in their pronunciation.

Centering diphthongs

Centering diphthong is the term where the sound is neutral, and the tongue does not stress the vowel sounds and is most commonly found in English. Sound is known as schwa sound (/ə/).

Examples

Let us look at the centering diphthong example down below:

/ɪə/ as in “here” (e.g., peer, sincere)
/eə/ as in “care” (e.g., chair, rare)
/ʊə/ as in “tour” (e.g., pure, mature)

Closing diphthongs

This type of diphthongs make the sound where the tongue is stressed when saying a vowel as an ending sound

Examples

Let us look at the closing diphthong example down below:

/aɪ/ as in “time” (e.g., fly, sky)
/ɔɪ/ as in “boy” (e.g., enjoy, toy)
/aʊ/ as in “house” (e.g., mouth, now)
/oʊ/ as in “go” (e.g., home, no)
/eɪ/ as in “day” (e.g., say, play)

Opening diphthongs

In the opening diphthong, the vowel sound is lower and is opposite of the ending diphthong. This type of diphthong uses the vowel sound (/æ, ɑ, ɔ/).

Examples

Let us look at the opening diphthong example below:

/eɪ/ as in “day” (e.g., say, way)
/aɪ/ as in “time” (e.g., my, try)
/aʊ/ as in “house” (e.g., out, now)
/oʊ/ as in “go” (e.g., show, know)

Common Mistakes with Diphthongs

Let us dig in the most common mistakes with diphthongs as we have learned about them.

Common Mispronunciations of Diphthongs

Here are some Common Mispronunciations of Diphthongs:

A person can misunderstand the diphthongs when /aɪ/is pronounced as a long “i”. For example, bike and time. This is known as Monophthongization.
People always forget the second element or leave it as mispronounced because of same-sounding vowels.
There can be a substitution of vowels, for example, in the word “boat”, making it challenging to pronounce diphthongs

Tips for Overcoming Common Diphthong Pronunciation Errors

To avoid errors one can learn better by practice and guidance. One can follow these:

One must always keep an eye out for the beginning and ending points of the syllable in addition to the sounds of the vowels in order to guarantee that there are the suitable ups and downs in addition to pitch linked with the pronunciation and the sound.
You should always practice by viewing and listening to videos on YouTube and other internet resources provided by people who are native speakers or teachers if you want to enhance your pronunciation. It is highly recommended that the videos be generated directly from phonetics classes in order to achieve the greatest possible results.
In addition, one should keep up a regular conversation with their friends from other countries so that those friends can teach them the proper way to pronounce the term if they are making any errors.
People should devote some time each day to improving their pronunciation of diphthongs in order to guarantee that their speech is easy to understand and that they make appropriate use of language.

Common Spelling Errors with Diphthongs

Here are some Common Spelling Errors with Diphthongs given below:

Incorrect: “out” (instead of “owt”), “how” (instead of “haw”), “shout” (instead of “showt”)
Incorrect: “coin” (instead of “coint”), “join” (instead of “joint”), “toy” (instead of “toi”)
Incorrect: “rain” (instead of “rane”), “pain” (instead of “pane”), “say” (instead of “sai”)
Incorrect: “eat” (instead of “eet”), “seat” (instead of “seet”), “meat” (instead of “meet”)
Incorrect: “pie” (instead of “pei”), “piece” (instead of “peice”), “field” (instead of “feild”)
Incorrect: “autumn” (instead of “awtumn”), “sauce” (instead of “sawce”), “laugh” (instead of “lawf”)
Incorrect: “neutral” (instead of “newtral”), “queue” (instead of “kew”), “few” (instead of “fyou”)
Incorrect: “blue” (instead of “bloo”), “true” (instead of “troo”), “cue” (instead of “koo”)