Diphthongs are vowel sounds that consist of a combination of two vowel sounds pronounced in a single syllable. Diphthongs are common in many languages and are usually represented by a single vowel symbol in the writing system.
In English, diphthongs are typically formed by combining a vowel sound with the sound /j/ or /w/. For example, the word “buy” contains the diphthong /aɪ/, which is formed by combining the vowel sound /a/ with the sound /j/. Similarly, the word “cow” contains the diphthong /aʊ/, which is formed by combining the vowel sound /a/ with the sound /w/.
Diphthongs can be classified as either falling diphthongs or rising diphthongs, depending on the direction of the vowel sound. Falling diphthongs are those in which the first vowel sound is pronounced more loudly or distinctly than the second vowel sound, while rising diphthongs are those in which the second vowel sound is pronounced more loudly or distinctly than the first.
In some languages, diphthongs may be represented by a combination of two vowel letters in the writing system, while in others, they may be represented by a single vowel letter with a diacritic (mark added to a letter or symbol) indicating the diphthong.
Here is a list of diphthongs in English:
- /aɪ/ as in “buy”
- /aʊ/ as in “cow”
- /eɪ/ as in “pay”
- /oʊ/ as in “go”
- /aʊə/ as in “hour”
- /eə/ as in “fair”
- /ɔɪ/ as in “toy”
- /ɪə/ as in “ear”
- /ʊə/ as in “tour”
Diphthongs can be classified as either falling diphthongs or rising diphthongs, depending on the direction of the vowel sound. Falling diphthongs are those in which the first vowel sound is pronounced more loudly or distinctly than the second vowel sound while rising diphthongs are those in which the second vowel sound is pronounced more loudly or distinctly than the first.
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