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Pronunciación en inglés americano de no highway cowboys , mostrando cinco diptongos: / ɔɪ /

Un diptongo ( / d ɪ f theta ɒ ŋ / DIF -thong o / d ɪ p theta ɒ ŋ / DIP -thong ; [1] de griego : δίφθογγος , diphthongos , literalmente "sonido doble" o "doble tono"; de δίς "dos veces" y φθόγγος "sonido"), también conocida como vocal deslizante , es una combinación de dos sonidos vocales adyacentes dentro de la misma sílaba. [2] Técnicamente, un diptongo es una vocal con dos objetivos diferentes: es decir, la lengua (y / u otras partes del aparato del habla ) se mueve durante la pronunciación de la vocal. En la mayoría de variedades de Inglés , la frase no carretera vaquero / ˌ n h w k b ɔɪ / tiene cinco diptongos distintas, una en cada sílaba .

Los diptongos contrastan con los monoftongos , donde la lengua u otros órganos del habla no se mueven y la sílaba contiene solo un sonido vocal. Por ejemplo, en inglés, la palabra ah se pronuncia como monoftongo ( / ɑː / ), mientras que la palabra ow se pronuncia como diptongo en la mayoría de las variedades ( / / ). Cuando dos sonidos de vocales adyacentes ocurren en diferentes sílabas, por ejemplo, en la palabra inglesa re-elect , el resultado se describe como hiato , no como diptongo. (La palabra Inglés hiato / ˌ h t ə s/ es en sí mismo un ejemplo tanto de hiato como de diptongos).

Los diptongos a menudo se forman cuando las vocales separadas se combinan en un habla rápida durante una conversación. Sin embargo, también hay diptongos unitarios, como en los ejemplos en inglés anteriores, que los oyentes escuchan como sonidos de una sola vocal ( fonemas ). [3]

Transcripción [ editar ]

En el alfabeto fonético internacional (IPA), monophthongs se transcriben con un símbolo, como en Inglés sol [sʌn] , en el que ⟨ del ʌ ⟩ representa un monoptongo. Diptongos se transcriben con dos símbolos, como en Inglés alta [haɪ] o vaca [kaʊ] , en el que ⟨ ⟩ y ⟨ ⟩ representar diptongos.

Los diptongos se pueden transcribir con dos símbolos vocales o con un símbolo vocal y un símbolo semivocal . En las palabras anteriores, el miembro menos prominente del diptongo se puede representar con los símbolos de la aproximante palatina [ j ] y la aproximante labiovelar [ w ] , con los símbolos de las vocales cercanas [ i ] y [ u ] , o la símbolos para las vocales cercanas [ ɪ ] y [ ʊ ] :

Algunas transcripciones son más amplias o más estrechas (menos precisas o más precisas fonéticamente) que otras. Transcripción de los diptongos Inglés en alta y vaca como ⟨ aj aw ⟩ o ⟨ Ai Au ⟩ es un menos precisa o transcripción más amplio, ya que estos diptongos generalmente terminan en un sonido vocal que es más abierta que los semivocales [JW] o los vocal cerrada [ iu] . Transcribir los diptongos como ⟨aɪ̯ aʊ̯⟩ es una transcripción más precisa o más estrecha, ya que los diptongos en inglés suelen terminar en las vocales cercanas [ɪ ʊ] .

El diacrítico no silábico , el breve invertido debajo de ⟨◌̯⟩, [4] se coloca debajo de la parte menos prominente de un diptongo para mostrar que es parte de un diptongo en lugar de una vocal en una sílaba separada: [aɪ̯ aʊ̯] . Cuando no hay una secuencia de vocales contrastivas en el idioma, se puede omitir el diacrítico. Otras indicaciones comunes que los dos sonidos no son vocales separadas son un superíndice, ⟨ aᶦ aᶷ ⟩, [5] o una barra de unión, ⟨ aɪ aʊ ⟩ o ⟨ aɪ aʊ ⟩. [6] La barra de corbata puede ser útil cuando no está claro qué símbolo representa el núcleo de la sílaba, o cuando tienen el mismo peso. [7]Los superíndices se utilizan especialmente cuando un deslizamiento dentro o fuera del planeo es particularmente fugaz. [8]

El período ⟨ . ⟩ Es lo opuesto al diacrítico no silábico: representa un salto de sílaba. Si dos vocales juntas pertenecen a dos sílabas diferentes ( hiato ), lo que significa que no forman un diptongo, se pueden transcribir con dos símbolos vocales con un punto intermedio. Por lo tanto, menor puede ser transcrito ⟨ loʊ.ər ⟩, con un período de separación de la primera sílaba, / l oʊ / , a partir de la segunda sílaba, / ər / .

El diacrítico no silábico se usa solo cuando es necesario. Se omite normalmente cuando no hay ambigüedad, como en ⟨ haɪ kaʊ ⟩. Ninguna palabra en inglés tiene la secuencia de vocales * [a.ɪ a.ʊ] , por lo que el diacrítico no silábico es innecesario.

Tipos [ editar ]

Cayendo y subiendo [ editar ]

Los diptongos descendentes (o descendentes ) comienzan con una calidad vocal de mayor prominencia (tono o volumen más alto) y terminan en una semivocal con menos prominencia, como [aɪ̯] en el ojo , mientras que los diptongos ascendentes (o ascendentes ) comienzan con una semivocal menos prominente y termina con una vocal completa más prominente, similar a la [ja] en yarda . (Tenga en cuenta que "descender" y "ascender" en este contexto no se refieren a la altura de la vocal ; para eso, se utilizan los términos "apertura" y "cierre" en su lugar. Ver más abajo). El componente menos prominente en el diptongo también puede ser transcrito como unaproximante , por lo tanto [aj] en ojo y [ja] en yarda . Sin embargo, cuando el diptongo se analiza como un solo fonema , ambos elementos a menudo se transcriben con símbolos de vocales ( / aɪ̯ / , / ɪ̯a / ). Las semivocales y aproximantes no son equivalentes en todos los tratamientos, y en los idiomas inglés e italiano , entre otros, muchos fonéticos no consideran que las combinaciones ascendentes sean diptongos, sino secuencias de aproximantes y vocales. Hay muchos idiomas (como el rumano) que contrastan uno o más diptongos ascendentes con secuencias similares de un deslizamiento y una vocal en su inventario fonético [9] (ver semivocal para ejemplos).

Cerrar, abrir y centrar [ editar ]

Diagrama de vocales que ilustra los diptongos de cierre del holandés estándar belga , de Verhoeven (2005 : 245)
Diagrama de vocales que ilustra los diptongos de centrado del dialecto holandés de Orsmaal-Gussenhoven , de Peters (2010 : 241)

Al cerrar diptongos, el segundo elemento está más cerca que el primero (por ejemplo, [ai] ); al abrir diptongos, el segundo elemento está más abierto (por ejemplo, [ia] ). Los diptongos de cierre tienden a ser descendentes ( [ai̯] ), y los diptongos de apertura generalmente son ascendentes ( [i̯a] ), [10] ya que las vocales abiertas son más sonoras y, por lo tanto, tienden a ser más prominentes. Sin embargo, las excepciones a esta regla no son raras en los idiomas del mundo. En finlandés , por ejemplo, los diptongos de apertura / ie̯ / y / uo̯ / son verdaderos diptongos descendentes, ya que comienzan más fuerte y con un tono más alto y caen en prominencia durante el diptongo.

Un tercer tipo raro de diptongo que no se abre ni se cierra son los diptongos armónicos de altura , con ambos elementos a la misma altura vocal. [11] Estos ocurrieron en inglés antiguo :

  • beorht [beo̯rxt] "brillante"
  • ċeald [t͡ʃæɑ̯ld] "frío"

Un diptongo de centrado es aquel que comienza con una vocal más periférica y termina con una más central, como [ɪə̯] , [ɛə̯] y [ʊə̯] en la pronunciación recibida o [iə̯] y [uə̯] en irlandés . Muchos diptongos de centrado también son diptongos de apertura ( [iə̯] , [uə̯] ).

Los diptongos pueden contrastar en cuánto se abren o se cierran. Por ejemplo, Samoa contrasta los diptongos bajos a medios con los diptongos bajos a altos:

  • 'ai [ʔai̯] ' probablemente '
  • 'ae [ʔae̯] ' pero '
  • 'auro [ʔau̯ɾo] ' oro '
  • ao [ao̯] 'una nube'

Estrecho y ancho [ editar ]

Los diptongos estrechos son los que terminan con una vocal que en una tabla de vocales está bastante cerca de la que comienza el diptongo, por ejemplo, holandés del norte [eɪ] , [øʏ] y [oʊ] . Los diptongos anchos son lo opuesto: requieren un mayor movimiento de la lengua y sus desplazamientos están más lejos de sus puntos de partida en la tabla de vocales. Ejemplos de diptongos anchos son RP / GA English [aɪ] y [aʊ] .

Longitud [ editar ]

Los idiomas difieren en la longitud de los diptongos, medidos en términos de moras . En idiomas con vocales fonémicamente cortas y largas, los diptongos suelen comportarse como vocales largas y se pronuncian con una longitud similar. [12] [ cita requerida ] En idiomas con sólo una longitud fonémica para vocales puras, sin embargo, los diptongos pueden comportarse como vocales puras. [ cita requerida ] Por ejemplo, en islandés , tanto los monoftongos como los diptongos se pronuncian mucho antes de las consonantes simples y cortos antes de la mayoría de los grupos de consonantes.

Algunos idiomas contrastan diptongos cortos y largos . En algunos idiomas, como el inglés antiguo , se comportan como vocales cortas y largas, ocupando una y dos moras , respectivamente. Los idiomas que contrastan tres cantidades en diptongos son extremadamente raros, pero no desconocidos; Se sabe que los sami del norte contrastan los diptongos largos, cortos y "finalmente acentuados", el último de los cuales se distingue por un segundo elemento largo. [ cita requerida ]

Fonología [ editar ]

En algunos idiomas, los diptongos son fonemas únicos , mientras que en otros se analizan como secuencias de dos vocales o de una vocal y una semivocal.

Cambios de sonido [ editar ]

Ciertos cambios de sonido se relacionan con diptongos y monoftongos . La ruptura de vocales o diptongación es un cambio de vocal en el que un monoftongo se convierte en diptongo. La monoftongación o suavizado es un cambio de vocal en el que un diptongo se convierte en un monoftongo.

Diferencia de semivocales y secuencias de vocales [ editar ]

Si bien hay varias similitudes, los diptongos no son lo mismo fonológicamente que una combinación de una vocal y una aproximación o deslizamiento. Lo más importante es que los diptongos están completamente contenidos en el núcleo de la sílaba [13] [14] mientras que una semivocal o deslizamiento se restringe a los límites de la sílaba (ya sea el inicio o la coda). Esto a menudo se manifiesta fonéticamente por un mayor grado de constricción, [15] pero la distinción fonética no siempre es clara. [16] La palabra inglesa yes , por ejemplo, consiste en un deslizamiento palatino seguido de un monoftongo en lugar de un diptongo ascendente. Además, los elementos segmentarios deben ser diferentes en diptongos [ii̯]y así, cuando ocurre en un idioma, no contrasta con [iː] . Sin embargo, es posible que los idiomas contrasten [ij] e [iː] . [17]

Los diptongos también son distintos de las secuencias de vocales simples. El idioma Bunaq de Timor, por ejemplo, distingue / sa͡i / [saj] 'salir' de / sai / [saʲi] 'divertirse', / te͡i / [tej] 'bailar' de / tei / [teʲi] 'mirar fijamente ', y / po͡i / [poj] ' elección 'de / loi / [loʷi] ' bueno '. [18]

Ejemplos [ editar ]

Lenguas germánicas [ editar ]

Inglés [ editar ]

En palabras provenientes del inglés medio , la mayoría de los casos de diptongos en inglés moderno [aɪ̯, oʊ̯, eɪ̯, aʊ̯] se originan en los monoftongos largos del inglés medio [iː, ɔː, aː, uː] a través del gran cambio de vocales , aunque algunos casos de [ oʊ̯, eɪ̯] se originan en los diptongos del inglés medio [ɔu̯, aɪ̯] .

  1. ^ a b En inglés escocés , del medio oeste superior y de California , / oʊ̯ / es monofthongal [oː] .
  2. ^ En inglés de Pittsburgh , / aʊ̯ / es monofthongal [aː] , lo que lleva a la ortografía estereotipada "Dahntahn" para "centro".
  3. ^ a b El inglés canadiense y algunos dialectos del inglés norteamericano exhiben alofonía de / aʊ̯ / y / aɪ̯ / llamados crianza canadiense ; en algunos lugares se han convertido en fonemas separados. GA y RP han subido en menor medida en / aɪ̯ / .
  4. ^ En varios dialectos estadounidenses, como el inglés de América del Sur , / aɪ̯ / se convierte en monofthongal [aː] excepto antes de consonantes sordas.
  5. ^ a b Los antiguos monoftongos / iː / y / uː / están diptongados en muchos dialectos. En muchos casos, podrían transcribirse mejor como [uu̯] y [ii̯] , donde se entiende que el elemento no silábico está más cerca que el elemento silábico. A veces se transcriben / uw / y / ij / .
  6. ^ La mayoría de los hablantes de inglés australiano monoftongizan las vocales "-ee-". Sin embargo, el inglés de Australia Occidental es una excepción, ya que generalmente presenta diptongos centrados en palabras como miedo y barba . Ver: Macquarie University, 2010, Regional Accents (30 de enero de 2015) .
  7. ^ a b En la pronunciación recibida , las vocales en guarida y señuelo pueden ser monoftongificadas a [ɛː] y [oː] respectivamente ( Roach (2004 : 240)).

Holandés [ editar ]

  1. ^ a b c [eɪ̯] , [øʏ̯] y [oʊ̯] normalmente se pronuncian como diptongos de cierre, excepto cuando preceden a [ɾ] , en cuyo caso son diptongos de centrado: [eə̯] , [øə̯] y [oə̯] o se alargan y monoftonizan a [ɪː] , [øː] y [ʊː]

El dialecto de Hamont (en Limburgo ) tiene cinco diptongos de centrado y contrasta formas largas y cortas de [ɛɪ̯] , [œʏ̯] , [ɔʊ̯] y [ɑʊ̯] . [21]

Alemán [ editar ]

Alemán estándar [ editar ]

Diptongos fonémicos en alemán :

  • / aɪ̯ / como en Ei 'huevo'
  • / aʊ̯ / como en Maus 'mouse'
  • / ɔʏ̯ / como en neu 'nuevo'

En las variedades de alemán que vocalizan la / r / en la coda de la sílaba , pueden producirse otras combinaciones diptongales. Estos son sólo diptongos fonéticos, no diptongos fonéticos, ya que la pronunciación vocálica [ɐ̯] se alterna con pronunciaciones consonánticas de / r / si sigue una vocal, cf. du hörst [duː ˈhøːɐ̯st] 'escuchas' - ich höre [ʔɪç ˈhøːʀə] 'escucho'. Estos diptongos fonéticos pueden ser los siguientes:

Diptongos alemanes terminados en [ɐ̯] (parte 1), de Kohler (1999 : 88)
Diptongos alemanes terminados en [ɐ̯] (parte 2), de Kohler (1999 : 88)
^1 Wiese (1996) notes that the length contrast is not very stable before non-prevocalic /r/[22] and that "Meinhold & Stock (1980:180), following the pronouncing dictionaries (Mangold (1990), Krech & Stötzer (1982)) judge the vowel in Art, Schwert, Fahrt to be long, while the vowel in Ort, Furcht, hart is supposed to be short. The factual basis of this presumed distinction seems very questionable."[22][23] He goes on stating that in his own dialect, there is no length difference in these words, and that judgements on vowel length in front of non-prevocalic /r/ which is itself vocalized are problematic, in particular if /a/ precedes.[22]
According to the 'lengthless' analysis, the aforementioned 'long' diphthongs are analyzed as [iɐ̯], [yɐ̯], [uɐ̯], [eɐ̯], [øɐ̯], [oɐ̯], [ɛɐ̯] and [aɐ̯]. This makes non-prevocalic /aːr/ and /ar/ homophonous as [aɐ̯] or [aː]. Non-prevocalic /ɛːr/ and /ɛr/ may also merge, but the vowel chart in Kohler (1999:88) shows that they have somewhat different starting points.
Wiese (1996) also states that "laxing of the vowel is predicted to take place in shortened vowels; it does indeed seem to go hand in hand with the vowel shortening in many cases."[22]
Bernese German[edit]

The diphthongs of some German dialects differ from standard German diphthongs. The Bernese German diphthongs, for instance, correspond rather to the Middle High German diphthongs than to standard German diphthongs:

  • /iə̯/ as in lieb ‘dear’
  • /uə̯/ as in guet ‘good’
  • /yə̯/ as in müed ‘tired’
  • /ei̯/ as in Bei ‘leg’
  • /ou̯/ as in Boum ‘tree’
  • /øi̯/ as in Böim ‘trees’

Apart from these phonemic diphthongs, Bernese German has numerous phonetic diphthongs due to L-vocalization in the syllable coda, for instance the following ones:

  • [au̯] as in Stau ‘stable’
  • [aːu̯] as in Staau ‘steel’
  • [æu̯] as in Wäut ‘world’
  • [æːu̯] as in wääut ‘elects’
  • [ʊu̯] as in tschúud ‘guilty’

Yiddish[edit]

Yiddish has three diphthongs:[24]

  • [ɛɪ̯] as in [plɛɪ̯tə] פּליטה ('refugee' f.)
  • [aɛ̯] as in [naɛ̯n] נײַן ('nine')
  • [ɔə̯] as in [ɔə̯fn̩] אופֿן ('way')

Diphthongs may reach a higher target position (towards /i/) in situations of coarticulatory phenomena or when words with such vowels are being emphasized.

Norwegian[edit]

There are five diphthongs in the Oslo dialect of Norwegian, all of them falling:

  • [æɪ] as in nei, "no"
  • [œʷʏʷ] as in øy, "island"
  • [æʉ͍] as in sau, "sheep"
  • [ɑɪ] as in hai, "shark"
  • [ɔʷʏʷ] as in joik, "Sami song"

An additional diphthong, [ʉ͍ɪ], occurs only in the word hui in the expression i hui og hast "in great haste". The number and form of diphthongs vary between dialects.

Faroese[edit]

Diphthongs in Faroese are:

  • /ai/ as in bein (can also be short)
  • /au/ as in havn
  • /ɛa/ as in har, mær
  • /ɛi/ as in hey
  • /ɛu/ as in nevnd
  • /œu/ as in nøvn
  • /ʉu/ as in hús
  • /ʊi/ as in mín, , (can also be short)
  • /ɔa/ as in ráð
  • /ɔi/ as in hoyra (can also be short)
  • /ɔu/ as in sól, ovn

Icelandic[edit]

Diphthongs in Icelandic are the following:

  • /au̯/ as in átta, "eight"
  • /ou̯/ as in nóg, "enough"
  • /øy/ as in auga, "eye"
  • /ai̯/ as in kær, "dear"
  • /ei̯/ as in þeir, "they"
  • /ɔi/ as in koja, "bunk bed", "berth" (rare, only in handful of words)

Combinations of semivowel /j/ and a vowel are the following:

  • /jɛ/ as in éta, "eat"
  • /ja/ as in jata, "manger"
  • /jau̯/ as in , "yes"
  • /jo/ as in joð, "iodine", "jay", "yod" (only in a handful of words of foreign origin)
  • /jou̯/ as in jól, "Christmas"
  • /jœ/ as in jötunn, "giant"
  • /jai̯/ as in jæja, "oh well"
  • /ju/ as in , "yes"

Romance languages[edit]

French[edit]

In French, /wa/, /wɛ̃/, /ɥi/ and /ɥɛ̃/ may be considered true diphthongs (that is, fully contained in the syllable nucleus: [u̯a], [u̯ɛ̃], [y̯i], [y̯ɛ̃]). Other sequences are considered part of a glide formation process that turns a high vowel into a semivowel (and part of the syllable onset) when followed by another vowel.[25]

Diphthongs

  • /wa/ [u̯a] as in roi "king"
  • /wɛ̃/ [u̯ɛ̃] as in groin "muzzle"
  • /ɥi/ [y̯i] as in huit "eight"
  • /ɥɛ̃/ [y̯ɛ̃] as in juin "June"

Semivowels

  • /wi/ as in oui "yes"
  • /jɛ̃/ as in lien "bond"
  • /jɛ/ as in Ariège
  • /aj/ as in travail "work"
  • /ɛj/ as in Marseille
  • /ij/ as in bille "ball"
  • /œj/ as in feuille "leaf"
  • /uj/ as in grenouille "frog"
  • /jø/ as in vieux "old"
Quebec French[edit]

In Quebec French, long vowels are generally diphthongized in informal speech when stressed.

  • [ɑɔ̯] as in tard "late"
  • [aɛ̯] as in père "father"
  • [aœ̯] as in fleur "flower"
  • [ou̯] as in autre "other"
  • [øy̯] as in neutre "neutral"
  • [ãʊ̯̃] as in banque "bank"
  • [ẽɪ̯̃] as in mince "thin"
  • [ɒ̃ʊ̯̃] as in bon "well"
  • [œ̃ʏ̯̃] as in un "one"

Catalan[edit]

Catalan possesses a number of phonetic diphthongs, all of which begin (rising diphthongs) or end (falling diphthongs) in [j] or [w].[26]

In standard Eastern Catalan, rising diphthongs (that is, those starting with [j] or [w]) are possible only in the following contexts:[27]

  • [j] in word initial position, e.g. iogurt.
  • Both occur between vowels as in feia and veiem.
  • In the sequences [ɡw] or [kw] and vowel, e.g. guant, quota, qüestió, pingüí (these exceptional cases even lead some scholars[28] to hypothesize the existence of rare labiovelar phonemes /ɡʷ/ and /kʷ/).[29]

There are also certain instances of compensatory diphthongization in the Majorcan dialect so that /ˈtroncs/ ('logs') (in addition to deleting the palatal plosive) develops a compensating palatal glide and surfaces as [ˈtrojns] (and contrasts with the unpluralized [ˈtronʲc]). Diphthongization compensates for the loss of the palatal stop (part of Catalan's segment loss compensation). There are other cases where diphthongization compensates for the loss of point of articulation features (property loss compensation) as in [ˈaɲ] ('year') vs [ˈajns] ('years').[30] The dialectal distribution of this compensatory diphthongization is almost entirely dependent on the dorsal plosive (whether it is velar or palatal) and the extent of consonant assimilation (whether or not it is extended to palatals).[31]

Portuguese[edit]

The Portuguese diphthongs are formed by the labio-velar approximant [w] and palatal approximant [j] with a vowel,[32] European Portuguese has 14 phonemic diphthongs (10 oral and 4 nasal),[33] all of which are falling diphthongs formed by a vowel and a nonsyllabic high vowel. Brazilian Portuguese has roughly the same amount, although the European and non-European dialects have slightly different pronunciations ([ɐj] is a distinctive feature of some southern and central Portuguese dialects, especially that of Lisbon). A [w] onglide after /k/ or /ɡ/ and before all vowels as in quando [ˈkwɐ̃du] ('when') or guarda [ˈɡwaɾðɐ ~ ˈɡwaʁdɐ] ('guard') may also form rising diphthongs and triphthongs. Additionally, in casual speech, adjacent heterosyllabic vowels may combine into diphthongs and triphthongs or even sequences of them.[34]

In addition, phonetic diphthongs are formed in most Brazilian Portuguese dialects by the vocalization of /l/ in the syllable coda with words like sol [sɔw] ('sun') and sul [suw] ('south') as well as by yodization of vowels preceding /s/ or its allophone at syllable coda [ʃ ~ ɕ] in terms like arroz [aˈʁojs ~ ɐˈʁo(j)ɕ] ('rice'),[34] and /z/ (or [ʒ ~ ʑ]) in terms such as paz mundial [ˈpajz mũdʒiˈaw ~ ˈpa(j)ʑ mũdʑiˈaw] ('world peace') and dez anos [ˌdɛjˈzɐ̃nu(j)s ~ ˌdɛjˈzɐ̃nuɕ] ('ten years').

Spanish[edit]

Phonetically, Spanish has seven falling diphthongs and eight rising diphthongs. In addition, during fast speech, sequences of vowels in hiatus become diphthongs wherein one becomes non-syllabic (unless they are the same vowel, in which case they fuse together) as in poeta [ˈpo̯eta] ('poet') and maestro [ˈmae̯stɾo] ('teacher'). The Spanish diphthongs are:[35][36]

Italian[edit]

The existence of true diphthongs in Italian is debatable; however, a list is:[37]

The second table includes only 'false' diphthongs, composed of a semivowel + a vowel, not two vowels. The situation is more nuanced in the first table: a word such as 'baita' is actually pronounced ['baj.ta] and most speakers would syllabify it that way. A word such as 'voi' would instead be pronounced and syllabified as ['vo.i], yet again without a diphthong.

In general, unstressed /i e o u/ in hiatus can turn into glides in more rapid speech (e.g. biennale [bi̯enˈnaːle] 'biennial'; coalizione [ko̯alitˈtsi̯oːne] 'coalition') with the process occurring more readily in syllables further from stress.[38]

Romanian[edit]

Romanian has two true diphthongs: /e̯a/ and /o̯a/. There are, however, a host of other vowel combinations (more than any other major Romance language) which are classified as vowel glides. As a result of their origin (diphthongization of mid vowels under stress), the two true diphthongs appear only in stressed syllables[39] and make morphological alternations with the mid vowels /e/ and /o/. To native speakers, they sound very similar to /ja/ and /wa/ respectively.[40] There are no perfect minimal pairs to contrast /o̯a/ and /wa/,[9] and because /o̯a/ doesn't appear in the final syllable of a prosodic word, there are no monosyllabic words with /o̯a/; exceptions might include voal ('veil') and trotuar ('sidewalk'), though Ioana Chițoran argues[41] that these are best treated as containing glide-vowel sequences rather than diphthongs. In addition to these, the semivowels /j/ and /w/ can be combined (either before, after, or both) with most vowels, while this arguably[42] forms additional diphthongs and triphthongs, only /e̯a/ and /o̯a/ can follow an obstruent-liquid cluster such as in broască ('frog') and dreagă ('to mend'),[43] implying that /j/ and /w/ are restricted to the syllable boundary and therefore, strictly speaking, do not form diphthongs.

Celtic languages[edit]

Irish[edit]

All Irish diphthongs are falling.

  • [əi̯], spelled aigh, aidh, agh, adh, eagh, eadh, eigh, or eidh
  • [əu̯], spelled abh, amh, eabh, or eamh
  • [iə̯], spelled ia, iai
  • [uə̯], spelled ua, uai

Scottish Gaelic[edit]

There are 9 diphthongs in Scottish Gaelic. Group 1 occur anywhere (eu is usually [eː] before -m, e.g. Seumas). Group 2 are reflexes that occur before -ll, -m, -nn, -bh, -dh, -gh and -mh.

For more detailed explanations of Gaelic diphthongs see Scottish Gaelic orthography.

Cornish[edit]

The following diphthongs are used in the Standard Written Form of Cornish. Each diphthong is given with its Revived Middle Cornish (RMC) and Revived Late Cornish (RLC) pronunciation.

Welsh[edit]

Welsh is traditionally divided into Northern and Southern dialects. In the north, some diphthongs may be short or long according to regular vowel length rules but in the south they are always short (see Welsh phonology). Southern dialects tend to simplify diphthongs in speech (e.g. gwaith /ɡwaiθ/ is reduced to /ɡwaːθ/).

† The plural ending -au is reduced to /a/ in the north and /e/ in the south, e.g. cadau 'battles' is /ˈkada/ (north) or /ˈkade/ (south).

Slavic languages[edit]

Czech[edit]

There are three diphthongs in Czech:

  • /aʊ̯/ as in auto (almost exclusively in words of foreign origin)
  • /eʊ̯/ as in euro (in words of foreign origin only)
  • /oʊ̯/ as in koule

The vowel groups ia, ie, ii, io, and iu in foreign words are not regarded as diphthongs, they are pronounced with /j/ between the vowels [ɪja, ɪjɛ, ɪjɪ, ɪjo, ɪju].

Serbo-Croatian[edit]

  • i(j)e, as in mlijeko[44]

is conventionally considered a diphthong. However, it is actually [ie] in hiatus or separated by a semivowel, [ije].

Some Serbo-Croatian dialects also have uo, as in kuonj, ruod, uon[45] whereas, in Standard Croatian and Serbian, these words are konj, rod, on.

Finno-Ugric languages[edit]

Estonian[edit]

All nine vowels can appear as the first component of an Estonian diphthong, but only [ɑ e i o u] occur as the second component.

There are additional diphthongs less commonly used, such as [eu] in Euroopa (Europe), [øɑ] in söandama (to dare), and [æu] in näuguma (to mew).

Finnish[edit]

All Finnish diphthongs are falling. Notably, Finnish has true opening diphthongs (e.g. /uo/), which are not very common crosslinguistically compared to centering diphthongs (e.g. /uə/ in English). Vowel combinations across syllables may in practice be pronounced as diphthongs, when an intervening consonant has elided, as in näön [næøn] instead of [næ.øn] for the genitive of näkö ('sight').

closing
  • [ɑi̯] as in laiva (ship)
  • [ei̯] as in keinu (swing)
  • [oi̯] as in poika (boy)
  • [æi̯] as in äiti (mother)
  • [øi̯] as in öisin (at nights)
  • [ɑu̯] as in lauha (mild)
  • [eu̯] as in leuto (mild)
  • [ou̯] as in koulu (school)
  • [ey̯] as in leyhyä (to waft)
  • [æy̯] as in täysi (full)
  • [øy̯] as in löytää (to find)
close
  • [ui̯] as in uida (to swim)
  • [yi̯] as in lyijy (lead)
  • [iu̯] as in viulu (violin)
  • [iy̯] as in siistiytyä (to smarten up)
opening
  • [ie̯] as in kieli (tongue)
  • [uo̯] as in suo (bog)
  • [yø̯] as in (night)

Northern Sami[edit]

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

  • /eæ/ as in leat "to be"
  • /ie/ as in giella "language"
  • /oa/ as in boahtit "to come"
  • /uo/ 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.

Semitic languages[edit]

Maltese[edit]

Maltese has seven falling diphthongs, though they may be considered VC sequences phonemically.[46]

  • [ɛɪ̯] ej or għi
  • [ɐɪ̯] aj or għi
  • [ɔɪ̯] oj
  • [ɪʊ̯] iw
  • [ɛʊ̯] ew
  • [ɐʊ̯] aw or għu
  • [ɔʊ̯] ow or għu

Sino-Tibetan languages[edit]

Mandarin Chinese[edit]

Rising sequences in Mandarin are usually regarded as a combination of a medial semivowel ([j], [w], or [ɥ]) plus a vowel, while falling sequences are regarded as one diphthong.

  • ai: [ai̯], as in ài (愛, love)
  • ei: [ei̯], as in lèi (累, tired)
  • ao: [ɑʊ̯], as in dào (道, way)
  • ou: [oʊ̯], as in dòu (豆, bean)

Cantonese[edit]

Cantonese has eleven diphthongs.

  • aai: [aːi̯], as in gaai1 (街, street)
  • aau: [aːu̯], as in baau3 (爆, explode)
  • ai: [ɐi̯], as in gai1 (雞, chicken)
  • au: [ɐu̯], as in au1 (勾, hook)
  • ei: [ei̯], as in gei1 (機, machine)
  • eu: [ɛːu̯], as in deu6 (掉, throw)
  • iu: [iːu̯], as in giu3 (叫, call)
  • oi: [ɔːy̯], as in oi3 (愛, love)
  • ou: [ou̯], as in gou1 (高, high)
  • ui: [uːy̯], as in pui4 (陪, accompany)
  • eui: [ɵy̯], as in zeoi3 (醉, drunk)

Tai–Kadai languages[edit]

Thai[edit]

In addition to vowel nuclei following or preceding /j/ and /w/, Thai has three diphthongs which exist as long-short pairs:[47]

  • เอีย ia [iːa̯, ia̯]
  • เอือ üa [ɯːa̯, ɯa̯]
  • อัว ua [uːa̯, ua̯]

Mon-Khmer languages[edit]

Vietnamese[edit]

In addition to vowel nuclei following or preceding /j/ and /w/, Vietnamese has three diphthongs:

  • [iə̯] ia~iê
  • [ɨə̯] ưa~ươ
  • [uə̯] ua~uô

Khmer[edit]

Khmer language has rich vocalics with an extra distinction of long and short register to the vowels and diphthongs.

  • [iə̯]
  • [ei̯]
  • [ɐe̯]
  • [ɨə̯]
  • [əɨ̯]
  • [ɐə̯]
  • [ao̯]
  • [uə̯]
  • [ou̯]
  • [ɔə̯]
  • [eə̯̆]
  • [uə̯̆]
  • [oə̯̆]

Bantu languages[edit]

Zulu[edit]

Zulu has only monophthongs. Y and w are semi-vowels:

  • [ja] as in [ŋijaɠuˈɓɛːɠa] ngiyakubeka (I am placing it)
  • [wa] as in [ŋiːwa] ngiwa (I fall/I am falling)

Austronesian languages[edit]

Indonesian[edit]

Indonesian language, has four native diphthong and may be located at the beginning, middle and end of the words.[48] they are:

  • /ai̯/: balairung ('hall') , kedai ('shop'), pandai ('clever')
  • /au̯/: autodidak ('autodidact'), Taufik (Indonesian given name), kerbau ('buffalo'), limau ('lemon')
  • /oi̯/ (or /ʊi̯/ in Indonesian): boikot ('boycott') , amboi (an expression when amazed)
  • /ei̯/: eigendom ('property') , survei ('survey')

See also[edit]

  • Digraph (orthography)
  • Hiatus
  • Index of phonetics articles
  • Table of vowels
  • Monophthong
  • Semivowel
  • Triphthong
  • Vowel
  • Vowel breaking
  • Diaeresis

Notes[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "diphthong". Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House.
  2. ^ "Definition of DIPHTHONG". www.merriam-webster.com.
  3. ^ definition of 'Diphthong' on SIL International, accessed 17 January 2008
  4. ^ FileFormat.Info, page on combining inverted breve below
  5. ^ Used e.g. by Donaldson, Bruce C. (1993), "1. Pronunciation", A Grammar of Afrikaans, Mouton de Gruyter, pp. 8–9, ISBN 9783110134261 The author states that the Afrikaans diphthongs /eə øə oə/ can be transcribed /eᵊ øᵊ oᵊ/.
  6. ^ Used e.g. by Mangold, Max (2005), Das Aussprachewörterbuch (6th ed.), Duden, pp. 36–37, ISBN 978-3411040667. The author transcribes the diphthongs ⟨ai au eu⟩ as [a͜i a͜u ɔ͜y]. However, on page 36, he admits that phonetically, [aɪ̯ aʊ̯ ɔʏ̯] are more precise symbols.
  7. ^ Battisti (2000) Fonetica generale, p 224
  8. ^ E.g. Allen & Hawkins (1978) Development of Phonological Rhythm contranst ⟨⟩ from ⟨a͜ɪ⟩ from ⟨aᶦ
  9. ^ a b Chițoran (2002a:203)
  10. ^ Crystal, David (2008). Dictionary of Linguistics and Phonetics. Wiley. pp. diphthong.
  11. ^ Richard M. Hogg, Norman Blake, R. W. Burchfield, The Cambridge History of the English Language, CUP 1992, p. 49.
  12. ^ Mangrio, Riaz Ahmed (22 June 2016). The Morphology of Loanwords in Urdu: The Persian, Arabic and English Strands. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. ISBN 9781443896634.
  13. ^ Kaye & Lowenstamm (1984:139)
  14. ^ Schane (1995:588)
  15. ^ Padgett (2007:1938)
  16. ^ Schane (1995:606)
  17. ^ Schane (1995:589, 606)
  18. ^ Antoinette Schapper (2017), The Papuan Languages of Timor, Alor and Pantar, vol. 2, p. 20.
  19. ^ Gussenhoven (1992:46)
  20. ^ Verhoeven (2005:245)
  21. ^ Verhoeven (2007:221)
  22. ^ a b c d Wiese (1996:198)
  23. ^ Also supported by Tröster-Mutz (2011:20).
  24. ^ Kleine (2003:263)
  25. ^ Chitoran (2001:11)
  26. ^ Carbonell & Llisterri (1992:54)
  27. ^ Institut d'Estudis Catalans Archived 30 September 2010 at the Wayback Machine Els diftongs, els triftongs i els hiats – Gramàtica de la Llengua Catalana (provisional draft)
  28. ^ e.g. Lleó (1970), Wheeler (1979)
  29. ^ Wheeler (2005:101)
  30. ^ Mascaró (2002:580–581)
  31. ^ Mascaró (2002:581)
  32. ^ Faria (2003:7)
  33. ^ a b Cruz-Ferreira (1995:92)
  34. ^ a b Barbosa & Albano (2004:230)
  35. ^ Martínez-Celdrán, Fernández-Planas & Carrera-Sabaté (2003:256)
  36. ^ Azevedo, Milton M. (2004). Introducción a la lingüística española (in Spanish) (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. ISBN 0-13-110959-6.
  37. ^ Bertinetto & Loporcaro (2005:138)
  38. ^ Bertinetto & Loporcaro (2005:139)
  39. ^ Chițoran (2002a:204)
  40. ^ Chițoran (2002a:206)
  41. ^ Chițoran (2002b:217)
  42. ^ See Chițoran (2001:8–9) for a brief overview of the views regarding Romanian semivowels
  43. ^ Chițoran (2002b:213)
  44. ^ (in Croatian) Vjesnik Archived 21 November 2000 at archive.today Babić ne zagovara korijenski pravopis, nego traži da Hrvati ne piju mlijeko nego – mlieko
  45. ^ Josip Lisac. "Štokavsko narječje: prostiranje i osnovne značajke". Kolo (in Croatian). Archived from the original on 17 February 2008.
  46. ^ Borg & Azzopardi-Alexander (1997:299)
  47. ^ Tingsabadh & Abramson (1993:25)
  48. ^ Minister of Education and Culture Decree No: 50/2015, Jakarta, 2015.

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