PHONETIC

LESSON FIVE:
Diphthongs & Triphthongs
So far, the discussion has characterised pure vowels with a single perceived auditory quality, which are known
as monophthongs. Such vowels remain constant in their articulation process and do not glide. There are 12
monophthongs in English: /ɪ/, /iː/, /ʊ/, /uː/, /ʌ/, /ɑː/, /ɒ/, /ɔː/, /e/, /‫و‬/, /ɜː/, /ə/.

Diphthongs are vowels in which two vowel qualities can be perceived, and the articulators move from the
production of one vowel to the other. The first part of the diphthong is longer and stronger than the second
and is often referred as to the nucleus of the diphthong. The second part is just a glide whose full formation is
generally not accomplished. The quality of the phoneme reduces to quite short and decreases in loudness. The
organs of speech only move toward the articulation of the glide, but they are not set to pronounce it fully. The
total number of diphthongs is eight: /eɪ/, /aɪ/, /ɔɪ/, /ɪə/, /eə/, /ʊə/, /əʊ/, /aʊ/. Diphthongs are usually grouped
into the following three categories, depending on the height and advancement of the tongue:

The diphthongs that glide toward the vowel /ə/ in the

centre of the oral cavity are known as centring to /ə/:
/ɪə/, /eə/, /ʊə/;

the diphthongs that glide toward a higher position in

the mouth to reach the close sound /ɪ/ are known as
closing to /ɪ/: /eɪ/, /aɪ/, /ɔɪ/;

the diphthongs that glide toward a higher position in

the mouth to reach the sound /ʊ/ and are known as
closing to /ʊ/: /əʊ/, /aʊ/.

In sum, diphthongs may be classified according to several factors. On the one hand, we may distinguish them
according to their second component: if it is a schwa /ə/, then we talk about centring diphthongs. In all
other diphthongs the second component is more close than the first, and these are thus called closing
diphthongs; those that end in /I/ are fronting (and closing) while those ending in /ʊ/ are backing (and
closing). On the other hand, closing diphthongs may be classified according to the articulatory distance
between the two components: the diphthongs /eI/, /əʊ/ are narrow (and closing), while the rest, /aI/, /aʊ/,
/ϽI/ are the so-called low-starting or wide diphthongs. This is summarized in the table below:

There are also triphthongs – the most complex type of vowels. These are sounds in which three vowel qualities
can be perceived as they glide from one vowel to another and then to a third. Roach (2009: 19) describes
triphthongs as “composed of the five closing diphthongs […] with a schwa added on the end”. The five
examples of triphthongs are given below: