Triphthong
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In phonetics, a triphthong (Greek τρίφθογγος, "triphthongos", literally "with three sounds," or "with three tones") is a monosyllabic vowel combination usually involving a quick but smooth movement from one vowel to another that passes over a third one. While "pure" vowels, or monophthongs, are said to have one target tongue position, triphthongs have a moving tongue.
[edit] Examples
Monosyllabic triphthongs stressed on the first element in Bernese German (a Swiss German dialect) and in Latvian:
- [iə̯w] as in Gieu 'boy'
- [yə̯w] as in Gfüeu 'feeling'
- [uə̯w] as in Schueu 'school'
- [yə̯j] as in Müej 'trouble'
In Latvian:
- [iea] as in tie ['tiea] 'they'
- [uoa] as in kuo ['kuoa] 'what'
Monosyllabic triphthongs stressed on the second element in Spanish:
- [wej] as in buey 'ox'
- [waj] as in Uruguay
and in Standard Mandarin Chinese:
- [waj] as in 快 kuài 'fast'
- [wej] as in 回 huéi (pinyin spelling: huì) 'return'
- [iaw] as in 票 piào 'ticket'
- [iow] as in 六 liòu (pinyin spelling: liù) 'six'
Monosyllabic triphthongs stressed on the third element in Romanian (semivocalic phonemes marked with reversed circumflex accents):
- [e̯o̯a] as in pleoape 'eyelids'
- [jo̯a] as in creioane 'pencils'
The following British Received Pronunciation vowel sequences are sometimes analyzed as triphthongs stressed on the first element (they are 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
