English and Spanish Diphthongs

Areas of Conflict English Diphthongs Spanish Diphthongs

Number 8 14

Articulatory Description Closing diphthongs Diptongos cerrados

they involve a glide vocal abierta + vocal
towards a closer cerrada , , ,
tongue position , , ,  ;
, , ,  .
Diptongos abiertos
 Closing vocal cerrada + vocal
diphthongs are a abierta   , , ,
bit problematic
, ,  ;
for Spanish
learners since
they tend to Combinación de
make a wider vocales cerradas 
movement of the  ,  .
tongue and
reach the
second element,
which should be
slightly touched
on.
   presents
more difficulty
because of the
   element.

Centring diphthongs
they involve a glide
towards a central
position , ,  .

Centring diphthongs
are more difficult for
Spanish learners since
  they tend to start
them in a
position which is
too near   
and too near
   and too
near Spanish
  ;
 they would use a
full vowel for   
as end point;
 they would insert
an intrusive “r”
sound (e.g.
“here” );
this can be
avoided by
keeping the tip of
the tongue low;
 they tend to
make them as
two syllables
(e.g. “here”
-, “chair”
-, “tour”
-. Learners
should remember
that diphthongs
are units and
should be said in
one impulse of
breath.

Auditory Description Falling diphthongs Diptongos

the starting point is decrecientes , ,
more prominent than , , ,  ;
the end point;
 Rising diphthongs  Diptongos crecientes
the end point is more  , , , , , ,
prominent than the ,  ;
starting point.

All English diphthongs

are falling except   
and    which can
also be rising in
unstressed syllables.

Quantity The starting point of There are no variations

diphthongs, like long in length affecting
vowels, is subject to the Spanish diphthongs.
same variations in
length.

 Spanish learners
should give
sufficient length
to the first
element, making
the correct
reductions of
quantity in the
right contexts.

Phonological Full distribution except Most of them, except

Distribution for    which is not for  , occur in word
found in word initial medial position.
position.
 , , , , ,  
are not found in word
initial position.

 , , , , ,  

are not found in word
final position.
Spelling There is no In general terms, there
correspondence is correspondence
between spelling and between spelling and
pronunciation. pronunciation, though
there are exceptions,
e.g. “ai/ay”  ;
“ei/ey”   ; “oi/oy”
   .

Sources:

 Cruttenden, Alan Gimson’s Pronunciation of English, Edward Arnold. 1997

 Finch, Diana and Ortiz Lira, Héctor A Course in English Phonetics for Spanish
Speakers, Heinemann, London. 1982
 Gil Fernández, Juana Los Sonidos del Lenguaje, Editorial Síntesis, Madrid. 1995
 Jones, Daniel An Outline of English Phonetics- Ninth Edition-Eleventh Printing;
Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. 1993
 Navarro Tomás, T. Manual de Pronunciación Española. Publicaciones de la Revista
de Filología Española, Madrid. 1963.
 Vidal de Battini, Berta Elena El Español de la Argentina- Consejo Nacional de
Educación, Talleres Gráficos del Ministerio de Educación, Buenos Aires. 1964.

Prof. Adriana J. Falconi