Centering Diphthong

In Phonetics , a diphthong (also '''gliding vowel''') ( Greek ''δίφθογγος'', "diphthongos", literally "with two sounds," or "with two tones") is a Monosyllabic Vowel combination involving a Quick But Smooth Movement from one vowel to another, often interpreted by listeners as a single vowel sound or Phoneme .
While "pure" vowels, or '' Monophthong s'', are said to have one target tongue position, diphthongs have two target tongue positions.
Pure vowels are represented in the International Phonetic Alphabet by one symbol:
English "sum" as , for example.
Diphthongs are represented by two symbols, for example English "same" as ,
where the two vowel symbols are intended to represent approximately the beginning
and ending tongue positions.

TYPES OF DIPHTHONGS

Falling (or '''descending''') diphthongs start with a vowel of higher Prominence (higher pitch or louder) and end in a vowel with less prominence, like in "eye", while '''rising''' (or '''ascending''') diphthongs begin with a less prominent vowel and end with a more prominent vowel, like in "yard". The element with less prominence in the diphthong may be transcribed as a Semivowel in the case that there is a corresponding one, thus e.g. . However, when the whole diphthong is analysed as being one single phoneme, both elements are often transcribed as vowels. Note also that in languages like English and Italian, rising diphthongs are considered not true diphthongs by many Phonetician s, but sequences of a semivowel and a vowel.

In closing diphthongs, the second element is more Close than the first (e.g. ); in '''opening''' diphthongs, more Open (e.g. ). Closing diphthongs tend to be falling, and opening diphthongs are generally rising, because open vowels are more Sonorous and therefore tend to be more prominent. However, exceptions to this rule are not rare in the world's languages. In Finnish , for instance, the opening diphthongs and are true falling diphthongs, since they begin louder and with higher pitch and fall in prominence during the diphthong (this is indicated by bolding in the previous transcriptions).

A centering diphthong is one that begins with a more peripheral vowel and ends with a more central one, such as , , and in Received Pronunciation or and in Irish . Many centering diphthongs, namely those that begin with a close or Close-mid Vowel , are also opening diphthongs (eg. , ).

Some languages contrast short and '''long''' diphthongs, the latter usually being described as having a long first element. Languages that contrast three quantities in diphthongs are extremely rare, but not unheard of: Northern Sami is known to contrast '''long''', short and '''finally stressed''' diphthongs, the last of which are distinguished by a long second element.

DIPHTHONGS IN VARIOUS LANGUAGES

Czech

There are three diphthongs in Czech :

as in ''auto'' (almost exclusively in words of foreign origin)

as in ''euro'' (in words of foreign origin only)

as in ''koule''

Vowel groups ''ia, ie, ii, io'', and ''iu'' in foreign words are not regarded as diphthongs, they are pronounced with between the vowels .

Dutch

Diphthongs in Dutch

as in ''eind'', ''ijs'' "end, ice"

as in ''koude'', ''auto'', "cold, car"

as in ''huis'', "house"

as in ''duwen'', "to push"

as in ''leeuw'', "lion"

English

See Also: International Phonetic Alphabet for English

#Canadian English, exhibits Allophony of and called Canadian Raising .
#In Received Pronunciation, the vowels in ''lair'' and ''lure'' may be monophthongized to and respectively. Australian English already monophthongizes the former but is listed here anyway.
#In Rhotic Dialect s, words like ''pair'', ''poor'', and ''peer'' can be analyzed as diphthongs, although other descriptions analyze them as vowels with in the coda.

Faroese

Diphthongs in Faroese are:

as in ''bein'' (can also be short)

as in ''havn''

as in ''har'', ''mær''

as in ''hey''

as in ''nevnd''

as in ''nøvn''

as in ''hús''

as in ''mín'', ''bý'', ''ið'' (can also be short)

as in ''ráð''

as in ''hoyra'' (can also be short)

as in ''sól'', ''ovn''

Finnish

Diphthongs in Finnish
; closing

as in ''laiva'' (ship)

as in ''keinu'' (swing)

as in ''poika'' (boy)

as in ''äiti'' (mother)

as in ''öisin'' (at night)

as in ''lauha'' (mild)

as in ''leuto'' (mild)

as in ''koulu'' (school)

as in ''leyhyä'' (to waft)

as in ''täysi'' (full)

as in ''löytää'' (to find)

as in ''uida'' (to swim)

as in ''lyijy'' (lead)

as in ''viulu'' (violin)

as in ''siistiytyä'' (to clean up)

as in ''kieli'' (tongue)

as in ''suo'' (bog)

as in ''yö'' (night)

French

Some diphthongs in French :

as in ''roi'' "king"

as in ''oui'' "yes"

as in ''huit'' "eight"

as in ''bien'' "well (adv.)"

as in ''Ariège''

as in ''travail'' "work"

as in ''Marseille''

as in ''feuille'' "leaf"

as in ''grenouille'' "frog"

as in ''vieux'' "old"

All French diphthongs are typically analysed as a combination of a vowel and a semi-vowel (in either order).

German

Diphthongs in German :

as in ''Reich''

as in ''Maus''

as in ''neu''

as in ''der''

as in ''dir''

as in ''Bor''

as in ''Fördern''

as in ''nur''

as in ''Tür''

Some diphthongs in Bernese , a Swiss German dialect:

as in ''Bier'' 'beer'

as in ''Füess'' 'feet'

as in ''Schue'' 'shoes'

as in ''Stou'' 'holdup'

as in ''Stau'' 'stable'

as in ''Staau'' 'steel'

as in ''Wäut'' 'world'

as in ''wääut'' 'elects'

as in ''tschúud'' 'guilty'

Hungarian

There are no diphthongs in standard Hungarian, although most speakers pronounce the letters ''au'' in certain words (e.g. ''autó'' and ''augusztus'') as one syllable, like an diphthong. In other words, they are usually pronounced separately (as in ''kalauz'').

On the other hand, there are various diphthongs in Hungarian dialects.

Icelandic

Diphthongs in Icelandic are the following:

as in ''átta'', "eight"

as in ''nóg'', "enough"

as in ''auga'', "eye"

as in ''hæ'', "hi"

as in ''þeir'', "they"

Combinations of j and a vowel are the following:

as in ''jata'', "manger"

as in ''já'', "yes"

as in ''joð'', "iodine," "jay," "yod" (only in a handful of words of foreign origin)

as in ''jól'', "Christmas"

as in ''jötunn'', "giant"

as in ''jæja'', "oh well"

Italian

Diphthongs in standard Italian :
;falling

as in ''avrai''

as in ''dei'' (preposition)

as in ''direi''

as in ''voi''

as in ''poi''

as in ''pausa''

as in ''Europa''

as in ''feudo''

as in ''piano''

as in ''ateniese''

as in ''piede''

as in ''fiore''

as in ''piove''

as in ''più''

as in ''guado''

as in ''quello''

as in ''guerra''

as in ''qui''

as in ''liquore''

as in ''nuoto''

Latvian

Diphthongs in Latvian

;falling

as in ''laiva''

as in ''beigas''

as in ''koika''

as in ''puika''

as in ''tauva''

as in ''tev''

as in ''pliukš''

as in ''souls''

as in ''myusu'' (dial.)

as in ''iela''

as in ''ruoka''

as in ''faetons''

as in ''aorta''

as in ''foajē''

as in ''puante''

as in ''Sueca''

as in ''slapja''

as in ''lauva''

as in ''lauvai''

as in ''lauvā''

as in ''lauvene''

as in ''lauvēns''

as in ''lauviņa''

as in ''lauvu''

;rising

as in ''Aīda''

as in ''Saūda''

as in ''teātris''

as in ''neōns''

as in ''Seūla''

as in ''piāno''

as in ''diēzs''

as in ''šiīts''

as in ''odiōzs''

as in ''oāze''

as in ''poēma''

as in ''asteroīds''

as in ''kuluāri''

as in ''fluīdi''

as in ''fluōrs''

as in ''vakuūms''

Northern Sami

The diphthong system in Northern Sami varies considerably from one dialect to another. The Western Finnmark dialects distinguish four different qualities of opening diphthongs:

as in ''leat'' "to be"

as in ''giella'' "language"

as in ''boahtit'' "to come"

as in ''vuodjat'' "to swim"

In terms of quantity, Northern Sami shows a three-way contrast between long, '''short''' and '''finally stressed''' diphthongs. The last are distinguished from long and short diphthongs by a markedly long and stressed second component. Diphthong quantity is not indicated in spelling.

Norwegian

There are five diphthongs in Norwegian :

as in ''nei'', "no"

as in ''øy'', "island"

as in ''sau'', "sheep"

as in ''hai'', "shark"

as in ''joik'', "Sami song"

In addition there is the diphthong , but this only occur in the word ''hui'' in the expression ''i hui og hast'' "in great haste".

Portuguese

Falling diphthongs with or as their weaker vowel are frequent in Portuguese . Rising diphthongs, with or as their weaker vowel, occur less often, and many of them may also be analysed as Hiatus es, e.g., ''fé-ri-as'' (three syllables, with a hiatus) or ''fé-rias'' (two syllables, with a diphthong). The difference between a rising diphthong and a hiatus is not phonemic; the former are usually found in colloquial speech, and the latter in careful pronunciation. Triphthongs also occur (e.g. as in ''Paraguai'', or as in ''miau''), and even longer sequences, but they can be analysed as sequences of vowels (or allophonic Approximants ) and diphthongs. Just like the monophthongs, diphthongs are divided into two subgroups, oral and nasal.

;oral

as in ''pai''

as in ''peito'' (or , in some dialects)

as in ''papéis'' (merged with in some dialects)

as in ''coisa''

as in ''mói''

as in ''fui''

as in ''mau''

as in ''seu''

as in ''céu''

as in ''roupa'' (monophthongized to in many dialects)

as in ''mãe''

as in ''bem'' (merged with in some dialects)

as in ''põe''

as in ''muita''

as in ''são''

Romanian

Romanian builds its descending diphthongs using two semivowels and its ascending diphthongs using four. See also Romanian Phonology .
;falling

as in ''mai''

as in ''dau''

as in ''lei''

as in ''leu''

as in ''mii'' (no vocalic glide, but still a diphthong)

as in ''fiu''

as in ''goi''

as in ''nou''

as in ''pui''

as in ''răi''

as in ''rău''

as in ''câine''

as in ''râu''

as in ''stea''

as in ''George''

as in ''iapă''

as in ''fier''

as in ''chior''

as in ''iubit''

as in ''oameni''

as in ''ziua''

as in ''două''

Spanish

Diphthongs in Spanish :
;falling

as in ''hay''

as in ''rey''

as in ''hoy''

as in ''muy''

as in ''jaula''

as in ''feudo''

as in ''comedia''

as in ''tierra''

as in ''dio''

as in ''ciudad''

as in ''guante''

as in ''fuego''

as in ''pingüino''

as in ''cuota''

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Information About

Centering Diphthong