Pure Vowels vs. Diphthongs: A Breakdown
Here's the difference between pure vowels and diphthongs, explained simply:
Pure Vowels:
* Single sound: A pure vowel is a single, unchanging sound produced with your mouth in a fixed position. It remains consistent throughout its duration.
* Static tongue position: Your tongue stays in one place while you hold the vowel sound.
* Examples: Think of the vowel sounds in words like "bat," "bee," "bet," "boot," and "but." These are all pure vowels.
Diphthongs:
* Two sounds blended: A diphthong is a vowel sound that starts with one pure vowel sound and glides smoothly into another. It's a kind of "vowel slide."
* Moving tongue position: The position of your tongue changes during the pronunciation of a diphthong.
* Examples: Think of the vowel sounds in words like "boy," "cow," "fire," and "house." These all involve a gliding motion of the tongue.
Describing Pure Vowels:
* Tongue position: You can describe pure vowels based on where your tongue is positioned in your mouth: high or low, front or back, and how much the tongue is rounded.
* Examples:
* High front: The vowel sound in "bee"
* Low back: The vowel sound in "cot"
* Mid-front: The vowel sound in "bet"
Describing Diphthongs:
* Starting and ending points: You can describe diphthongs by noting the two pure vowels that make up the sound.
* Glide direction: You can also note the direction of the glide: upward, downward, forward, or backward.
* Examples:
* "boy": Starts with the sound of "oy" and glides to the sound of "ee"
* "cow": Starts with the sound of "ah" and glides to the sound of "oo"
Remember: Different languages may have different vowel systems and may use different terms to describe vowels and diphthongs.