Define diphthong. Mention the eight diphthongal phonemes of the English language.
Diphthong
Diphthong is a sound formed by the combination of two vowels in a single syllable, in which the sound begins as one vowel and moves towards another (as in coin, loud, and side).
According to Wikipedia, a diphthong is literally a “double sound” or “double tone”; also known as a gliding vowel, is a combination of two adjacent vowel sounds within the same syllable. Technically, a diphthong is a vowel with two different targets.
Eight diphthongal phonemes
There are eight diphthongs commonly used in English. They are: /eɪ/, /aɪ/,/əʊ/, /aʊ/, /ɔɪ/, /ɪə/, /eə/, and /ʊə/.
