PHONOLOGY DANIA MANDA

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Long Vowels, Diphtongs, Triphtongs

Prepared to fulfill assignments for the Phonology Lecture: Ms. Septa M.Pd

Arranged by:

Dania Fitri Vinansih 2211040174 Manda Adelia Arfalah 2211040067

ENGLISH EDUCATIONAL STUDY PROGRAM FACULTY OF TARBIYAH AND TEACHING

RADEN INTAN LAMPUNG STATE ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY

ACADEMIC YEAR 2024/2025

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FOREWORD

Bismillahir rahmanir Rahim

All Praise we pray to Allah SWT due to His grace a guidance, the author can complete the assignment of Phonology entitled “Long Vowles, Diphtongs, Triphtongs”

in accordance with agreed time. In writing this paper, the author tries to explain the material as optimally and effectively as possible, in order make it easier for readers to understand the essence of this paper.

However, the author realizes that this paper is still far from being perfect in term of sentence structure and grammar. Because in fact perfection belongs solely to Allah SWT. Therefore, the author accepts and appreciates readers who are willing to provide suggestions and constructive criticism, to improve this paper. The author sincerely hopes that this paper can be useful for readers. Aamiin.

In the end, the authors would like to thank all those who have contributed to the completion of this paper.

Bandar Lampung, October 2024

Author

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LIST OF CONTENTS

FOREWORD ... ii

TABLE OF CONTENTS ...iii

CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION ...1

A. Background ...1

B. Problem Formulation ... 2

C. Purpose ... 2

CHAPTER II DISCUSSION ...3

A. INSTRUCTIONAL... 3

a. Long Vowels...6

b. Diphthongs...8

c. Triphrhongs... 8

CHAPTER III CONCLUSION ...12

A. Conclusion ...12

BIBLIOGRAPHY ...13

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CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION

A. Background

Speech is most commonly and naturally used as an interaction medium in social settings. Along with communicating meaning, the acoustic signal is a product of physical proper ties and changes, as well as of more generally all those factors that form the identity of the speaker, such as social affiliation or family origin. The choice of words but also the way they are realized differs from speaker to speaker, as well as within a speaker. Even more, from an acoustic point of view, each utterance is unique¹.

Vowels are one of the important components of the English sound system.

They form the basis of almost all spoken words in the language.

Understanding and understanding vowel sounds in English is an important first step in learning English. Vowels in English can be defined as sounds made by the free flow of air through the vocal tract without resistance or friction. They are characterized by the position of the tongue, lips and oral cavity during speech.

In English there are a number of vowels that play an important role in distinguishing the meaning of words. These vowels can be beaten according to their phonetic properties such as pitch, tongue position, and lip shape.

English sound system, there are many ways of pronunciation for everyone, determined by various factors such as region of origin, early influences and social environment.

Therefore, many English-speaking experts have provided detailed descriptions of forms of English pronunciation that are easy to understand, at least for English-speaking people, even if they are not standard. This form of pronunciation is called "Received Pronunciation", which means

"pronunciation that can be understood in general"².

1 Jacobi, I. (2009). On variation and change in diphthongs and long vowels of spoken Dutch.

2 Ika Susanti (2023). Jurnal Pendidikan dan Sastra Inggris (JUPENSI).

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This is an opportunity that you can use at any time. English pronunciation is all about producing individual sounds and pronouncing words, phrases and sentences with the correct spelling, accent and/or stress.

There is also a way of reading words correctly called "phonetic transcription", which is defined as spelling of the alphabet in which each letter represents a sound. The goal of phonetic transcription is to provide language learners with clear and unambiguous information, such as which sound to use in a word or phrase and the context in which that sound should be used. This provides a more comprehensive understanding of vowel production and recognition, and helps in teaching and learning English vowel pronunciation³.

B. Problem Formulation 1. What is Long Vowels?

2. What is Diphtongs and Triphtongs?

3. What the example of Long Vowels, Diphtongs, Triphtongs?

C. Purpose

1. To know what Long Vowels is

2. To know what Diphthongs and Triphthongs is

3. To know the example of Long Vowels, Diphtongs, Triphtongs

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CHAPTER II DISCUSSION

A. INSTRUCTIONAL a. Long Vowels

Long vowels are vowels that are pronounced with a longer duration compared to short vowels. In linguistics, this duration is important because it can change the meaning of words. For example, in English, the difference between "ship" (short vowel) and "sheep" (long vowel) results in a significant difference in meaning.

The first to be introduced here are the five long vowels; these are the vowels which tend to be longer than the short vowels in similar contexts. It is necessary to say “in similar contexts” because, as we shall see later, the length of all English vowel sounds varies very much according to their context (such as the type of sound that follows them) and the presence or absence of stress.

To remind you that these vowels tend to be long, the symbols consist of one vowel symbol plus a length mark made of two dots :. Thus we have i:,3i,a:,o:,u:. We will now look at each of these long vowels individually.

If we compare some similar pairs of long and short vowels, for example 1 with i:, or u with u:, or ae with a:, we can see distinct differences in quality (resulting from differences in tongue shape and position, and lip position) as well as in length.

For this reason, all the long vowels have symbols which are different from those of short vowels; you can see that the long and short vowel sym bols would still all be different from each other even if we omitted the length mark, so it is important to remember that the length mark is used not because it is essential but because it helps learners to remember the length difference⁴.

4 Petter Roach (2009). English Phonetics and Phonology A practical course.

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Perhaps the only case where a long and a short vowel are closely similar in quality is that of a and 3:, but a is a spe cial case - as we shall see later.

i: (example words: ‘beat’, ‘mean’, ‘peace’) This vowel is nearer to cardinal vowel no. 1[i] (i.e. it is closer and more front) than is the short vowel of‘bid’, ‘pin’, ‘fish. Although the tongue shape is not much different from cardinal vowel no. 1, the lips are only slightly spread and this results in a rather different vowel quality.

3: (example words: ‘bird’, ‘fern’, ‘purse’) This is a mid-central vowel which is used in most English accents as a hesitation sound (written ‘er’), but which many learners find difficult to copy. The lip position is neutral.

a: (example words: ‘card’, ‘half’, ‘pass’) This is an open vowel in the region of cardi nal vowel no. 5 [a], but not as back as this. The lip position is neutral.

o: (example words: ‘board’, ‘torn’, ‘horse’) The tongue height for this vowel is between cardinal vowel no. 6 [o] and no. 7 [o], and closer to the latter. This vowel is almost fully back and has quite strong lip-rounding.

u: (example words: ‘food’, ‘soon’, ‘loose’) The nearest cardinal vowel to this is no. 8 [u], but BBC u: is much less back and less close, while the lips are only moderately rounded⁵.

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(Another Example of Long Vowels)

b. Diphtongs

A diphthong, also known as a diphthong in English, is a combination of two adjacent vowels in one syllable. In diphthongs, pronunciation begins with one vowel and ends with another, with a change in sound quality between the two. These changes can include shifting from one vowel to another, shifting from a monophthong to a diphthong, or shifting from one diphthong to another.

Diphthongs are often described as a combination of two vowel segments.

The beginning of a diphthong is called a vowel onset, while the ending is called a vowel ending. Vowel onsets generally have a weaker or pressed sound quality, while vowel endings have a stronger or prominent sound quality.

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Examples of diphthongs in English include:

1. "ai" in the word "pain" (sick) 2. "ei" in the word "weight" (weight) 3. "oi" in the word "coin" (coins) 4. "ou" in "house"

In some languages, diphthongs can also be represented by combinations of letters or diacritical marks. For example, in Spanish, diphthongs can be marked with letter combinations such as "ai" in "aire" (air), "ei" in "seis"

(six), and "au" in "auto" (car).

It is important to remember that diphthongs and adjacent vowels differ in different syllables. Diphthongs occur in one syllable, whereas two adjacent vowels in different syllables are considered separate vowels. For example, in the word "di-ure" (diuretic), "i" and "u" are each a separate vowel in a different syllable, not diphthongs.

An understanding of diphthongs is important in learning and mastering a language, because correct pronunciation will affect understanding and effective communication. It also deals with the phonetic and phonological aspects of a language⁶.

In terms of length, diphthongs are similar to the long vowels described above. Perhaps the most important thing to remember about all the diphthongs is that the first part is much longer and stronger than the second part; for example, most of the diphthong ai (as in the words ‘eye’, ‘I’) consists of the a vowel, and only in about the last quarter of the diphthong does the glide to i become noticeable. As the glide to i happens, the loudness of the sound decreases. As a result, the i part is shorter and quieter. Foreign learners should, therefore, always remember that the last part of English diphthongs must not be made too strongly. The total number of diphthongs is eight (though oa is increasingly rare).

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The centring diphthongs glide towards the 3 (schwa) vowel, as the symbols indicate.

IƏ (example words: ‘beard’, weird’, ‘fierce’) The starting point is a little closer than i in ‘bit’, ‘bin’.

ea

(example words: ‘aired’, ‘cairn’, ‘scarce’) This diphthong begins with a vowel sound that is more open than the e of‘get’, ‘men’.

UƏ (example words: ‘moored’, ‘tour’, ‘lure’) For speakers who have this diphthong, this has a starting point similar to u in ‘put’, ‘puli’. Many speakers pronounce o: instead⁷.

(Another Example Of Diphthongs)

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c. Triphthongs

Triphthongs are one of vowel types which has the most complex sounds.

Those consist of three vowel sounds that glide together. They can be rarely pronounced, and really difficult to recognize. These symbols are /

e

^IƏ,

a

^IƏ,

eu

^Ə,

au

Ə/. In accordance to Gut''s theory that triphthong is a thread of three vowels. It made by three vowel sounds in one syllable. Another definition from Wells, triphthong is constituted a single vowel unit. There are two kinds of triphthong. The first, it is shaped by closing diphthong ending with /I/ and second, shaped by closing diphthong ending with/u/.

Roach defined that triphthong is a glide or movement from one vowel to a second vowel and then to a third, all produced quickly and without interruption. It means that triphthong is the three vowels that glide together.

He added that the most complex vowel sound in English is triphthong.

It can be slightly difficult to pronounce and really difficult to recognize.

Triphthongs are composed of five closing diphthongs (ending or ending u) with schwa / ə / vowel added on the end. They will be gotten:

1. Triphthong /eIə /, shaped by [er] + [ə].

2. Triphthong /aIə/, shaped by [ar] + [ə].

3. Triphthong /ɔ1ə/, shaped by [r] + [ə].

4. Triphthong /əuə/ shaped by [əu] +[ə].

5. Triphthong /auə/, shaped by [au] + [ə].

For foreign learners, the major cause of difficulty is that in English the extent of the vowel glide is very little except in very careful pronunciation.

Because of this, the middle of three vowels of the triphthong (the I or part) can barely be heard and the sound of the resulting is L difficult to distinguish from several of long vowels and diphthongs. For example, the word hour"

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begins with a short vowel similar to /a:/ long vowel, goes on to a movement towards the end close rounded area or /u/, then ends with /ə/ schwa⁸.

The principal cause of difficulty for the foreign learner is that in present- day English the extent of the vowel movement is very small, except in very careful pronunciation. Because of this, the middle of the three vowel qualities of the triphthong (i.e. the I or u part) can hardly be heard and the resulting sound is difficult to distinguish from some of the diphthongs and long vowels.

To add to the difficulty, there is also the problem of whether a triphthong is felt to contain one or two syllables.

Words such as ‘fire’ faiƏ or ‘hour’ auƏ are probably felt by most English speakers (with BBC pronunciation) to consist of only one syllable, whereas

‘player’ pleiƏ or 'slower’ slƏuƏ are more likely to be heard as two syllables.

We will not go through a detailed description of each triphthong.

This is partly because there is so much variation in the amount of vowel movement according to how slow and careful the pronunciation is, and also because the “careful” pronunciation can be found by looking at the description of the corresponding diphthong and adding Ə to the end.

However, to help identify these triphthongs, some example words are given here:

eiƏ ‘layer, ‘player’

aiƏ ‘liar’, ‘fire’

ɔ

1Ə ‘loyal’, ‘royal’

ƏuƏ ‘lower’, ‘mower’

auƏ ‘power’, ‘hour

For more information about vowels, see Ashby (2005, Chapter 4), Ladefoged (2004, Chapter 3). Long vowels and diphthongs can be seen as a group of vowel sounds that are consistently longer in a given context than the

8 Institut Agama Islam Muhammadiyah Sinjai (2021), Phonology, Diphthongs,Triphthongs, and Syllable.

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short vowels described in the previous chapter. Some writers give the label tense to long vowels and diphthongs and lax to the short vowels.

Giegerich (1992) explains how this concept applies to three different accents of English: SSE (Standard Scottish English), RP (BBC pronunciation) and GA (General American).

Jakobson and Halle (1964) explain the histori cal background to the distinction, which plays an important role in the treatment of the English vowel system by Chomsky and Halle (1968)⁹.

(Another Example Of Triphthongs)

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CHAPTER III CLOSING

A. Conclusion

Speech is most commonly and naturally used as an interaction medium in social settings. Along with communicating meaning, the speech signal is a product of physical properties and changes, as well as of generally all factors that form the identity of the speaker, such as social affiliation or family origin.

The choice of words but also the way they are realized differs from speaker to speaker, and also within a speaker¹⁰.

When studying a foreign language, especially English, it is important to recognize that its phonetic system differs from that of Indonesian. English encompasses several sounds, including vowels, consonants, diphthongs, and other phonetic forms, which do not exist in Indonesian.

Furthermore, stress, length, and intonation in Indonesian do not impact the meaning of words or phrases. Due to these disparities, English learners often encounter difficulties stemming from various factors, such as differences in auditory sensitivity, challenges in producing foreign sounds using our vocal organs, issues with sound distribution, and problems with fluency.

These obstacles can be overcome by studying phonological theory, referring to dictionaries to learn word pronunciations, practicing pronunciation, and training one's ear by listening to native speakers or audio recordings. In English language learning, the primary objective is to accurately pronounce words, phrases, and sentences as if spoken by native English speakers.

This is crucial because mispronunciations in English can lead to errors in word meaning, resulting in unclear communication. Based on the aforementioned explanation, it is highly important to introduce pronunciation correction to English learners from an early age.

10 Jacobi, I. (2009). On variation and change in diphthongs and long vowels of spoken Dutch.

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Consequently, we can expect some students to master the correct English pronunciation method, enabling them to eventually speak English fluently and accurately¹¹

Overall, long vowels, diphthongs, and triphthongs play a crucial role in shaping the structure and sound of language. Understanding these three elements is important not only for language teaching but also for the study of phonology and language acquisition. Knowledge of correct pronunciation can enhance communication skills and enrich the linguistic experiences of learners..

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PREFERENCES

Roach, Peter (Peter John) English phonetics and phonology: a practical course / Peter Roach. - 4th ed. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-0-521-71740-3 (pbk.) - ISBN 978-0-521-88882-0 1. English language - Phonetics. 2. English language - Phonology. 3. English language - Study and teaching - Foreign speakers. I. Title.

Jacobi, I. (2009). On variation and change in diphthongs and long vowels of spoken Dutch. [Thesis, fully internal, Universiteit van Amsterdam]

Batara Wisnu Journal: Indonesian Journal of Community Services e-ISSN: 2777- 0567 p-ISSN: 2797-9717 Vol.3 No.3 September - Desember 2023

Jurnal Pendidikan dan Sastra Inggris (JUPENSI) Vol. 3 No. 2 Agustus 2023 P- ISSN: 2827-8852, E-ISSN: 2827-8860, Hal 11-118 DOI:

https://doi.org/10.55606/jupensi.v3i2.1997

Cheung Yuk Man Department of Chinese, Translation and Linguistics, City University of Hong Kong

A Course in Phonetics, Sixth Edition Peter Ladefoged and Keith Johnson Publisher: Michael Rosenberg