MONOPHTHONG AND DIPHTHONG

Brillian Nur Zilullah (2010231018), Anggi Aminullah (2110231046), Nike Fadilah Putri
(2110231048), Disha Firnatha (2110231049)

INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background
Vowel sounds are an especially tricky part of English pronunciation because of how
flexible and malleable they can be. While consonant sounds are fairly uniform throughout
various dialects, vowel sounds can have slight variations in pronunciation from one region to
another.
Another aspect of vowel sounds that can be confusing is when multiple vowel sounds
blend together within a single syllable. Because there are no clear divisions between the
sounds like there are for consonants, these blended vowel sounds can be difficult to
pronounce correctly. In this section, we’ll look at the two ranges of vowel sounds:
monophthongs (single vowel sounds within a syllable) and diphthongs (two vowels sound
combined within a syllable).
Monophthong and diphthong are one of the skills that must be mastered in order to
understand and use English smoothly is speaking. In speaking there are many aspects to
consider. Those are words (vocabulary), grammar (structure), stress, intonation and
pronunciation. All these aspects must be well controlled so that your spoken English may
sound eloquent and similar to native speakers.
Monophthong and diphthong are both vocal or vowel sounds. The vocal sounds
themselves are sounds produced without hindrance. The difference in vocal sounds can result
only from changes in the shape of the mouth. Unlike vowels, consonants may result from
obstructions to escaping air. The speech barrier may come from the speech of the tongue,
teeth, lips, etc.

1.2 Research Problem

1. What is monophthong and the example?
2. What is diphthong and the example?
1.3 Objective
1. To know what is monophthong and the example.
2. To know what is diphthong and the example.
 DISCUSSSION

2.1 Monophthong and Kinds of Monophthong

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”.
There are 12 monophthongs in English:
1. [ɪ], as in lip /lɪp/, is pronounced in the front part of the vocal tract, with the tongue
half-closed to the roof of the mouth and the lips in a spread position.
2. [i:], as in sheep /ʃiːp/, is articulated in the front part of the vocal tract, with the
tongue close to the roof of the mouth and the lips in a spread position.
3. [ʊ], as in cook /kʊk/, is produced in the back part of the vocal tract, with the
tongue close to the back of the roof of the mouth and the lips in a rounded
position.
4. [u:], as in fool /fuːl/, is articulated in the back part of the vocal tract, with the
tongue close to the roof of the mouth and the lips in a rounded position.
5. [e], as in ten /ten/, is produced in the central part of the vocal tract, with the tongue
close to the roof of the mouth and the lips in a rounded position.
6. [ɜ:], as in girl /gɜːl/, is pronounced in the central part of the vocal tract, with the
tongue partly opened and the lips in an unrounded position.
7. [ə], as in among /əˈmʌŋ/, is articulated in the central part of the vocal tract, with
the lips partly opened.
8. [ɔ:], as in cord /kɔːd/, is articulated in the back part of the vocal tract, with the
tongue partly opened and the lips in a rounded position.
9. [ɑ:], as in bard /bɑːd/, is pronounced in the back part of the vocal tract, with the
tongue completely open and low in the mouth, and the lips in a spread position.
10. [ɒ], as in fog /fɒg/, is produced in the back part of the vocal tract, with the tongue
open and low in the mouth, and in a rounded position.
11. [ʌ], as in nut /nʌt/, is pronounced in the back part of the vocal tract, with the
tongue half-open and the lips in an unrounded position.
12. [æ], as in man /mæn/, is articulated in the front part of the vocal tract, with the
tongue half-open and the lips spread.
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.

2.2 Diphthong and Kinds of Diphthong

Diphthongs are vowel sounds that begin as one sound and blend into another
when they are articulated. They can be achieved through the use of two consecutive
vowels, as well as one vowel that changes as it is pronounced. Diphthongs are
sometimes referred to as gliding vowels. This term relates to the way in which the
vowel sound is articulated. With all speech sounds, including vowels and consonants,
air flows through the vocal cords. Each sound requires different alteration and
constriction of the vocal cords to articulate. These sounds are represented by symbols
that we know of as letters.
When air flows through vocal cords, it is manipulated by the lips, teeth,
tongue, and the vocal cords themselves in order to produce the desired speech sound.
A vowel becomes a diphthong when it starts as one speech sound and ends as another.
The term gliding vowel is a reference to the way in which the airflow glides or moves
from one vowel sound articulation to another.
Having two consecutive vowels does not guarantee that a word has a
diphthong. In the words “loot,” “bear,” “and “fear,” for example, only one vowel
sound is articulated. Another thing to note is that diphthongs depend upon
pronunciation. In some accents, a word may have a diphthong even though in another
accent it does not. The New Yorker accent, for example, tends to add extra
diphthongs to words like “dog” and “long,” where the single O vowel is pronounced
as a diphthong similar to the word “aw.”
Diphthong Examples. There are eight diphthongs that are generally agreed
upon.
1. /aɪ/ Creates a speech sound similar to “eye” and usually includes the letters /i/,
/igh/, and /y. Examples: my, cry, light, like
2. /əʊ/ Creates a speech sound similar to “boat” and usually includes the letters /ow/,
/oa/ and /o/. Examples: tow, loan, though
3. /eɪ/ Creates a speech sound similar to “great” and usually includes the letters
/ey/, /ay/, /ai/ and /a/. Examples: steak, pain, weight
4. /aʊ/ Creates a speech sound similar to “ow!” and usually includes the letters /ou/
and /ow/. Examples: town, found, cow
5. /ɪə/ Creates a speech sound similar to “ear” and usually includes the letters /ee/,
/ie/ and /ea/. Examples: leer, tear, pier
6. /eə/ Creates a speech sound similar to “air” and usually includes the letters /ai/, /a/,
and /ea/. Examples: hair, lair, bear
7. /ɔɪ/ Creates a speech sound similar to “boy” and usually includes the letters /oy/
and /oi/. Examples: oil, coy, roil
8. /ʊə/ Creates a speech sound similar to “sure” and usually includes the letters
/oo/, /ou/, /u/, and /ue/. Examples: cure, pure, cur
 CONCLUSION

Monophthong and diphthong are one of the skills that must be mastered in
order to understand and use English smoothly is speaking. As the explanation above,
monophthong divided into two kinds, long and short vowels. The mark that make
different between long and short vowels of monophthong take in the “/…:/” symbol.
It means the word was read in long tone. In other hand, for short vowel of
monophthong was read in short tone as usual.
Having two consecutive vowels does not guarantee that a word has a
diphthong. In the words “loot,” “bear,” “and “fear,” for example, only one vowel
sound is articulated. Another thing to note is that diphthongs depend upon
pronunciation.
 REFERENCE

StopLearnTeam. 2022. Monophthongs and Diphthongs. https://stoplearn.com/monophthongs-

and-diphthongs/
https://www.thefreedictionary.com/Tricky-Vowel-Sounds-(Monophthongs-Diphthongs-and-
Triphthongs).htm
https://www.kampunginggris.id/belajar-diphthong-dan-monophthong-sounds