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.

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'

Latvian:

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

Stress on the second element

Spanish:

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

Mandarin:

• [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'

Romanian:

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

Vietnamese:

• [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

• Index of phonetics articles
• Diphthong