Diphthongs Definitions of Terms
12 sounds are organized. According to Clark 1990, phonetics and phonology are
concerned with a speech with the ways in which humans produce and hear speech. The term phonology is often associated with the study of the “higher” level
of speech organization Yallop and Clark 1990, p. 123. They are known as individual sounds in the phonetic distinctions. According to the International
Phonetic Association IPA, there are 44 sounds in the British English language sound system, out of which 24 are consonant and, 12 7 short and 5 long are
vowels Roach 1983, p. 40. As regards the present research, both the segmental phonology and supra-
segmental phonology are considered. The sound system of the English language, in linguistics, is studied under these two aspects Gimson and Ramsaran 1970, p.
214. Chu 2006, p. 372 states that phonetic system is more effective in term of pronunciation learning and instruction.
4.
Diphthongs
Diphthongs are other types of vowel. They refer to a sequence of two sounds, vowels and glide Fromkin, Roman, and Hyams 2007, p. 208. This
research focuses on the diphthongs. It is important for Pre-service English teachers to know about diphthongs. The most common mistake in pronunciation
that is visible is the production of pure vowels where a diphthong should be pronounced. It is a part of pronunciation. Learning English is not only about the
13 grammar, but also about the pronunciation. Language is a way to communicate
with other people, so pronunciation is important. It is to cover misunderstanding in communicating with other people.
Yallop and Clark 1990, p. 90 states, diphthongs seem to be another instance of two phonetic segments functioning as one. They are, in a sense, two
vowels forming a single entity and are analogous to affricates or prenasalized plosives in that they are generally regarded as single but complex segments Clark
and Yallop 1990, p. 90.
The term diphthong is reserved for a glide between two vowel qualities, neither of which dominates. The categorized of glide is based on the major of
auditory distinction that divide the continuum of articulatory timing. According to Javed and Ahmad 2014, the combination of two vowel
sounds rapidly gliding from one sound to another is called a diphthong. There are eight 3 centering and 5 closing diphthongs in the British English language sound
system. Three sounds such as ɪə hear, eə wear, and ʊə tour are called centering diphthongs ending at ə schwa sound.
Three sounds ending at ɪ such as eɪ day, ɑɪ my, ɔɪ boy are known as closing diphthongs and lastly two sounds that culminate at ʊ such as əʊ go,
aʊ how are also called closing diphthongs Javad and Ahmad, 2014.
One can also classify diphthongs into rising diphthongs, narrow diphthongs, and wide diphthongs. A rising diphthongs is a diphthong in which the end part has