Triphthong

Triphthong

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In phonetics, a triphthong (from Greek τρίφθογγος, "triphthongos", literally "with three sounds," or "with three tones") is a monosyllabic vowel combination involving a quick but smooth movement of the articulator from one vowel quality to another that passes over a third. While "pure" vowels, or monophthongs, are said to have one target articulator position, diphthongs have two, and triphthongs three.

Contents

1 Examples
2 See also

Examples

Stress on the first element

English in British Received Pronunciation (these can be also analyzed as disyllabic sequences of a diphthong and a monophthong):

[aʊ̯ə] as in hour
[aɪ̯ə] as in fire
[eɪ̯ə] as in player
[ɔɪ̯ə] as in loyal, royal
[əʊ̯ə] as in lower

Bernese German (a Swiss German dialect):

[iə̯w] as in Gieu 'boy'
[yə̯w] as in Gfüeu 'feeling'
[uə̯w] as in Schueu 'school'
[yə̯j] as in Müej 'trouble'

[iea] as in tie [ˈtiea] 'they'^{citation needed}
[uoa] as in ko [ˈkuoa] 'what'^{citation needed}

Stress on the second element

[we̞i̯] as in buey 'ox'
[wai̯] as in Uruguay
[jai̯] as in cambiáis ('you change')
[je̞i̯] as in cambiéis ('that you may change')

[i̯ai̯] as in 崖 yái 'cliff'
[i̯aʊ̯] as in 票 piào 'ticket'
[i̯oʊ̯] as in 六 liù 'six'
[u̯ai̯] as in 快 kuài 'fast'
[u̯ei̯] as in 回 huí 'return'

[jaw] as in iau 'I take'
[e̯aw] as in rîdeau 'they were laughing'

[ɨə̯ɪ̯] as in tươi 'fresh'
[ɨə̯ʊ̯] as in rượu 'alcohol'
[iə̯ʊ̯] as in tiêu 'pepper'
[uə̯ɪ̯] as in "nuôi 'to nourish'
[ui̯ʊ̯] as in khuỵu 'to fall on one's knees'^{citation needed}

Stress on the third element

Romanian (semivocalic phonemes marked with reversed circumflex accents):

[e̯o̯a] as in pleoape 'eyelids'
[i̯o̯a] as in creioane 'pencils'

See also