Diphthong

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.

Falling diphthongs start with a higher vowel, e.g., , while '''rising''' diphthongs end with a higher vowel, e.g., . In '''closing''' diphthongs, the second element is Closer than the first; in '''opening''' diphthongs, more Opened . 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 .

Some languages contrast short and '''long''' diphthongs, the latter usually being described as having a long first element. Until the first few decades of the 20th century, it was generally accepted that Old English had long and short diphthongs, with vowel combinations such as the one in '''nēah''' 'near' contrasting with the one in '''feallan''' 'to fall.' In 1939, however, Marjorie Daunt suggested that short diphthongs in Old English were in fact merely allophonic variants recorded by Irish scribes, to whom the sequence was audible, and that they were not phonemically significant to native speakers of Anglo-Saxon. The topic has been debated by historical linguists ever since.

The unstressed elements of the diphthongs may be transcribed as Semivowel s. However, when the whole diphthong is analysed as being one single Phoneme , both elements are often transcribed as vowels.

ENGLISH

Diphthongs in the General American accent of English :

as in ''house''

as in ''kite''

as in ''same''

as in ''few'' (This is Phonemically analyzed as a sequence of a Semivowel and a monophthong.)

as in ''tone''

as in ''join''

Diphthongs in the Received Pronunciation of British English :

as in ''hope''

as in ''house''

as in ''kite''

as in ''same''

as in ''few'' (This is phonemically analyzed as a sequence of a semivowel and a monophthong.)

as in ''join''

as in ''fear''

as in ''hair'' (In modern pronunciation this is usually the long vowel .)

as in ''poor''

Boston Accent

(see International Phonetic Alphabet For English for more)

Diphthongs in Australian English :

as in ''hope''

as in ''house''

as in ''kite''

as in ''same''

as in ''few'' (This is phonemically analyzed as a sequence of a semivowel and a monophthong.)

as in ''join''

as in ''fear''

ITALIAN

Diphthongs in standard Italian :
;rising diphthongs

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 ''schietto''

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 ''tuorlo''

as in ''nuoto''

FRENCH

Some diphthongs in French :

as in ''roi''

as in ''oui''

as in ''huit''

as in ''bien''

as in ''Ariège''

{Link without Title} as in ''Travail''

{Link without Title} as in ''Marseille''

{Link without Title} as in ''Feuille''

{Link without Title} as in ''Grenouille''

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

as in ''laiva''

as in ''keinu''

as in ''poika''

as in ''uida''

as in ''lyijy''

as in ''äiti''

as in ''öisin''

as in ''lauha''

as in ''leuto''

as in ''viulu''

as in ''koulu''

as in ''leyhyä''

as in ''siistiytyä''

as in ''täysi''

as in ''löytää''

as in ''kieli''

as in ''suo''

as in ''yö''

GERMAN

Diphthongs in German :

as in ''Reich''

as in ''Maus''

as in ''neu''

as in ''der''

as in ''dir''

as in ''Bor''

as in ''Förde''

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'

ICELANDIC

Diphthongs in Icelandic are the following:

as in ''já'', "yes"

as in ''vél'', "machine"

as in ''nóg'', "enough"

as in ''auga'', "eye"

as in ''hæ'', "hi"

as in ''þeir'', "they"

PORTUGUESE

Vowel combinations in Portuguese are divided into three groups: Hiatuses , sequences of two independent vowels, diphthongs, sequences of a vowel and /i, u/, which can appear after or before the vowel, and the rare triphthongs, with semivowel+vowel+semivowel. Just like the vowels, diphthongs are divided into two subgroups: oral diphthongs and nasal diphthongs.

Diphthongs in Portuguese :
;oral

as in ''pai''

as in ''peito'' (central Portugal)

as in ''peito'' (Brazil and Northern Portugal)

as in ''papéis'' (Brazil)

as in ''coisa''

as in ''mói''

as in ''fui''

as in ''mau''

as in ''ao'' (Portugal)

as in ''seu''

as in ''céu''

as in ''viu''

as in ''roupa'' (parts of Brazil and Northern Portugal)

as in ''mãe''

as in ''bem'' (Brazil and Northern Portugal)

as in ''põe''

as in ''muita''

as in ''são''

NORTHERN SAMI

Diphthongs in Northern Sami

as in ''leat''

as in ''giella''

as in ''boahtit''

as in ''vuodjat''

ROMANIAN

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

Rising:

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''

Falling:

as in ''stea''

as in ''George''

as in ''ziar''

as in ''fier''

as in ''chior''

as in ''iubit''

as in ''oameni''

as in ''ziua''

as in ''două''

SPANISH

Diphthongs in Spanish :
;rising diphthongs

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 ''ambiguo''

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