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English Diphthongs

Diphthong is a vowel sound in which the tongue changes position to produce the sound of two vowels.
Diphthong is a single sound produced when two vowels (one dominant in duration and stress, and one reduced in duration and stress) are paired together in a sequence.
There are eight diphthongs commonly used in English . They are : /eɪ/,/ɑɪ/,/əʊ/,/ɑʊ/,/ɔɪ/,/ɪə/,/eə/ and /ʊə/.

  • It is important to note that the close combination of the two vowels causes each of the vowels to lose its pure quality. For instance, the /ɪ/ in /ɑɪ/ is quite different from the /ɪ/ [It]. 
  • In phonological patterns, diphthongs are labeled using a single "V" (not V V) because they act as one sound.  
  • Although diphthongs are considered as a combination of two vowels, never put the length marker (:) when combine and transcribe them in phonetic symbols.

Diphthongs
The first vowels
Closeness     Frontness  Rounding
The second vowels
Closeness    Frontness  Rounding
[eɪ]
Open-mid            front                 unrounded
Near-close          near-front         unrounded
[ɑɪ]
Open                    back                unrounded   
Near-close          near-front         unrounded
[əʊ]
Mid                      central             unrounded
Near-close          near-back         rounded
[ɑʊ]
Open                    back                unrounded
Near-close          near-back         rounded
[ɔɪ]
Open-mid            back                 rounded
Near-close          near-front        unrounded
[ɪə]
Near-close           near-front        unrounded
Mid                     central             unrounded
[eə]
Open-mid            front                unrounded
Mid                     central             unrounded
[ʊə]
Near-close           near-back        rounded
Mid                     central             unrounded

Because diphthongs are composed of vowels, they are also described using the parameters of closeness (height), frontness and rounding.
  • The parameters are listed using vowel closeness (height), frontness and rounding of the first vowel and then followed by the second vowel. Thus to make a sound parameter of /eɪ/, for example, we can describe it as: "/eɪ/ is an open-mid, front, unrounded vowel moving to near-close, near-front, unrounded vowel"

                  The phonetic transcription of the English Diphthongs in words
Diphthong
Word
Phonetic Transcription
[eɪ]
Pay
/peɪ/
[ɑɪ]
Five
/faɪv/
[əʊ]
Home
/həʊm/
[ɑʊ]
Now
/naʊ/
[ɔɪ]
Join
/dʒɔɪn/
[ɪə]
Near
/nɪə(r)/
[eə]
Hair
/heə(r)/
[ʊə]
Pure
/pjʊə(r)/

  1. /ɑɪ/: The /ɑ/ is longer in duration and forms the nucleus of the diphthong, while /ɪ/ is shorter and unstressed. 
  2. /ɑʊ/: The /ɑ/ is longer in duration and forms the nucleus of the diphthong, while /ʊ/ is shorter and unstressed.  
  3. /ɔɪ/: The /ɔ/ is longer in duration and forms the nucleus of the diphthong, while /ɪ/ is shorter and unstressed.
  4. /eɪ/: The /e/ is longer in duration and forms the nucleus of the diphthong, while /ɪ/ is shorter and unstressed.
  5. /eə/: The /e/ is longer in duration and forms the nucleus of the diphthong, while /ə/ is shorter and unstressed.
  6. /ɪə/: The /ɪ/ is longer in duration and forms the nucleus of the diphthong, while /ə/ is shorter and unstressed.
  7. /ʊə/: The /ʊ/ is longer in duration and forms the nucleus of the diphthong, while /ə/ is shorter and unstressed.
  8. /əʊ/: The /ə/ is longer in duration and forms the nucleus of the diphthong, while /ʊ/ is shorter and unstressed.
  • Diphthong can appear in the initial, medial or final position of words, such as in: 
          aisle               /aɪl/                               =>          initial position
          bear               /beə(r)/                          =>          medial position
          buy                /baɪ/                              =>          final position
          
To label the combinations and the order of phonemes in a syllable or a word, the phonological  patterns are used, for example:

          aisle               /aɪl/                  =     VC                 (vowel-consonant)
          bear               /beə(r)/            =     CVC              (consonant-vowel-consonant)
          buy                /baɪ/                 =     CV                 (consonant-vowel)
  • Diphthongs are not included on IPA charts, because they are the result of the pairing of two pure vowels.

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