I just looked up the word 'diphthong'. The definition was so confusing, I had no clue.
Why are there words and definitions of things in grammar that we use anyway. Who cares what adverbs, diphthongs, participles etc are? Why do they teach that crap? I already know how to speak and write.
It's not that hard to understand. It's more of a phonetic thing involving combinations of vowels within the same syllable. My main exposure to the concept was while singing Latin choral music in college. Latin, as opposed to English, is a language without diphthongs.
It is hard to understand, and knowing the definition does not change the way I write and speak. That was the point of my question and I used diphthong as an example. No wonder I thought English classes in HS were a waste of time. I wish I had had the balls to tell my teachers so, but that would have been disrespectful back then.
I disagree that HS English is not important. I tear my hair out every time I hear someone say "I seen it." That phrase is so darn common it stinks. It grinds against my spirit like fingernails on a chalkboard.
i had seent it ,me and my brother was talkin’, he had likedt this one girl in schu, so he like had toldt to me here name so i was all o i know her she fine and he goes know shes mind and i went yore hi
As I said, I found it more relatable when learning how to pronounce Latin. After 40 years, I can still hear our Glee Club director saying, "No diphthongs!"
Latin is not without diphthongs, though it has few when compared with English. And by the ecclesiastical Latin period (which is the pronunciation used for choral music), essentially only one was left: /au/.
This post was edited by Benedict Arnold at October 24, 2019 1:34 AM MDT
Take the sounds of any two vowels. Sound the first out loud and without a pause or gap sound the next, sliding them together. It's a gliding vowel in the articulation of which there is a continuous transition from one position to another. It's a type of sound which is characteristic in some languages, and common in English. There is a wide range of different ways in which each diphthong can be pronounced depending on one of the two sounds being longer or shorter, more or less emphasised.
In English, the sound of a diphthong is often spelled in several different ways.
To represent it more accurately in writing, it is easier to use phonetic symbols.
a + i = high [haɪ]
a + u = au as in sauna, frau, cow [kaʊ], how, bough, plough
To recognise a diphthong more easily, slow down the way you say the word. Keep slowing down until you can clearly hear the sliding change in the vowel.
This post was edited by inky at October 24, 2019 1:25 AM MDT
Stu Spelling Bee 