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    Monophthong and Diphthong

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    Book3

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    Monophthong and Diphthong

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    deepanjanpaul27
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    Book3

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    17920_monophthong and Diphthong

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    Book3

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    55 views5 pages

    Monophthong and Diphthong

    Uploaded by

    deepanjanpaul27
    Book3

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    MONOPHTHONG AND DIPHTHONG

    A monophthong is a vowel sound pronounced as a single, unchanging sound,


    without any significant change in quality or length. In other words, it is a single
    vowel sound that remains constant throughout its pronunciation. In contrast,
    diphthongs are vowel sounds that involve a gradual change in quality and length,
    such as the "oi" sound in "boil" or the "au" sound in "caught". Monophthongs are
    an important element of the English language, and their use can affect the way
    words are pronounced and understood.
    The word monophthong comes from the Greek “mono”, which means “one”, and
    “-phthong”, which means “tone” or “sound”. So monophthong means “one sound”
    or “single sound”.
    Monophthongs are sometimes called pure vowels.
    There are 12 monophthongs in English. Review the list below as well as some
    examples of when they are used and how they are pronounced in everyday words.

    Examples of Monopthongs in English

    Monophtongs Example Pronunciation

    Pronounced in the front part of the vocal tract,


    [ɪ] lip /lɪp/ with the tongue half-closed to the roof of the
    mouth and the lips in a spread position.

    Articulated in the front part of the vocal tract,


    [i:] sheep /ʃiːp/ with the tongue close to the roof of the mouth
    and the lips in a spread position.
    Examples of Monopthongs in English

    Produced in the back part of the vocal tract,


    [ʊ] cook /kʊk/ with the tongue close to the back of the roof of
    the mouth and the lips in a rounded position.

    Articulated in the back part of the vocal tract,


    [u:] fool /fuːl/ with the tongue close to the roof of the mouth
    and the lips in a rounded position.

    Produced in the central part of the vocal tract,


    [e] ten /ten/ with the tongue close to the roof of the mouth
    and the lips in a rounded position.

    Pronounced in the central part of the vocal


    [ɜ:] girl /gɜːl/ tract, with the tongue partly opened and the
    lips in an unrounded position.

    Articulated in the central part of the vocal tract,


    [ə] among /əˈmʌŋ/
    with the lips partly opened.

    Articulated in the back part of the vocal tract,


    [ɔ:] cord /kɔːd/ with the tongue partly opened and the lips in
    a rounded position.

    Pronounced in the back part of the vocal tract,


    [ɑ:] bard /bɑːd/ with the tongue completely open and low in the
    mouth, and the lips in a spread position.
    Examples of Monopthongs in English

    Produced in the back part of the vocal tract,


    [ɒ] fog /fɒg/ with the tongue open and low in the mouth, and
    in a rounded position.

    Pronounced in the back part of the vocal tract,


    [ʌ] nut /nʌt/ with the tongue half-open and the lips in
    an unrounded position.

    Articulated in the front part of the vocal tract,


    [æ] man /mæn/ with the tongue half-open and the lips in
    a spread position.

    The characteristics of monophthongs

     Monophthongs can be found in any part of a word. However, they are often
    found in the middle of a word.
     You can find monophthongs at the beginning and end of a word. For
    example, in words like after, and lazy.
     Monophthongs are also divided into long and short.

    Short monophthongs

    Short monophthongs are vowels with a 'short' sound, which means that they are
    not extended sounds. Compare the vowel sound in eat and sit for example. The
    first is long and the second is short. There are 7 short vowels:

     /ɪ/ as in sit.
     /ʊ/ as in boot.
     /e/ as in bed.
     /ə/ as in letter.
     /æ/ as in rat.
     /ʌ/ as in bus.
     /ɒ/ as in pot.

    Try pronouncing a couple of words in the lists above while looking in the
    mirror. Focus on the way you move your mouth and the position of your
    tongue. Try pronouncing heat, hit, hat, and hot. Notice how the movement of the
    mouth changes, from a spread position to a rounded one.
    Other than the transcription, a good way of
    telling monophthongs and diphthongs apart comes from the pronunciation. When
    pronouncing a diphthong, your mouth should create two distinct shapes without
    closing. For example, when pronouncing the word beer, your mouth should change
    from a spread shape to an open shape.

    Monophthongs and diphthongs

    The differences between monophthongs and diphthongs are:

     A monophthong is when there is only one vowel sound in


    a syllable. A diphthong is the combination of two vowel sounds together.
     Monophthongs are transcribed with the International Phonetic Alphabet,
    with just one symbol, for example [ʊ]. While diphthongs are transcribed
    with two symbols, for example [aʊ].

    Monophthong - Key takeaways

     A monophthong is a pure vowel sound that has a single auditory occurrence.

     There are twelve monophthongs in English.

     An example of a monophthong in English is the vowel sound /æ/ as in the


    word "cat". This sound is pronounced as a single, unchanging vowel sound
    without any significant change in quality or length.
     Monophthongs are divided into long and short monopthongs.

     A diphthong is a combination of two vowel sounds together.

    REFERENCE : www.studysmart.co.uk

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