DIPHTONG IN ENGLISH

GROUP 4 :
• HANDAYANI
• SAMIRA
• YULIANTI
• RISKI NIRMAYANI
Definition of Diphthong

A diphthong is a speech sound that begins with

one vowel sound and changes to another vowel sound
in the same syllable. Diphthongs are very common in
English, but vary greatly from region to region.

In English, there are two types of vowel

sounds: monophthong and diphthong.
A monophthong is a vowel with a single sound, such as the long
E sound in "meet" and the UH sound (short U) in "rust."
Monophthongs make one single vowel sound in a syllable. You
do not have to change the shape of your mouth while saying
the vowel sound.

A diphthong is a more complex vowel sound.

The word diphthong comes from the Latin word "diphthongus"

and the Greek word "diphthongos," meaning "having two
sounds."

Diphthongs begin with one vowel sound and change to another

vowel sound in the same syllable. Your mouth position changes
slightly through the vowel sound.
Diphthongs are often (but not always) made when two
vowels are next to each other in the same syllable.

Try saying these words: (the diphthongs are in red)

• brown • boy

• fair • ouch

• share • away

• slow • eye

• guy
We will cover some of the most common
diphthongs found in American English.

/eɪ/ (Long A sound)

This diphthong is similar to the long A sound. It is

pronounced as a long A sound sliding into a long E sound.

Some dialects pronounce the long A sound as one single

sound (like in bake and late). Others pronounce it as two
vowel sounds. It really depends on where you live. People
with southern accents (from the south part of the United
States) will stretch out the diphthong more.
Try saying these words with two vowel sounds:
(the diphthong is in red)

• day • pay

• say • lay

• may • play

• away • eight
/aɪ/

This diphthong is pronounced as a long I sound sliding into

a long E sound.

Again, this sound can vary from dialect to dialect. Some

dialects pronounce the long I sound in the following words as
one single sound. Some dialects pronounce the vowel sound
more like the "AH" sound you would here in "ball". Others
pronounce it as two vowel sounds.
Try saying these words with two vowel sounds:
(the diphthong is in red)

•sky •cry

•try •tie

•fry •why

•die •eye
/ɔɪ/

This diphthong is pronounced as a long O sound that

quickly slides into a long E sound.

Try saying these words: (the diphthong is in red)

•boy •soil

•toy •foil

•annoy •boil

•enjoy
/ɪə/

This diphthong is pronounced as a long E sound sliding

into an Ur sound.

Try saying these words: (the diphthong is in red)

• pier • fear

• hear • deer

• steer • ear

• clear
/eə/

This diphthong is pronounced as a long A

sound sliding into an Ur sound.

Try saying these words: (the diphthong is in red)

•bear •pair

•hair •wear

•fair •where

•stairs
/aʊ/

This diphthong is pronounced as a short A

sound sliding into an "oo" sound.

Try saying these words: (the diphthong is in red)

•brown •frown

•cow •now

•how •wow
/oʊ/

This diphthong is often just pronounced as a single long

O sound. As a diphthong, it has a long O sound sliding
into an "oo" sound.
Try saying these words using the two vowel sounds:
(the diphthong is in red)
•yellow •float

•coat •low
Obstacles in Learning Diphtong:

• Lack of hearing sensitivity

• There are rules of short long duration in some
English sounds