Triphthong
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In phonetics, a triphthong (Template:IPAc-en Template:Respelling, Template:IPAc-en Template:Respelling) (from Greek {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} Template:Translit, Template:Lit) 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.
Triphthongs are not to be confused with disyllabic sequences of a diphthong followed by a monophthong, as in German {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}} 'fire', where the final vowel is longer than those found in triphthongs.
Examples
Triphthongs that feature close elements typically analyzed as {{#invoke:IPA|main}} and {{#invoke:IPA|main}} in phonology are not listed. For instance, the Polish word {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}} 'tallow' is typically analyzed as {{#invoke:IPA|main}} - a sequence of a consonant followed by a vowel and another consonant. This is because the palatal approximant is resyllabified in some inflected forms, such as {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}} (instr. pl.), and also because {{#invoke:IPA|main}} occurs word-finally after a consonant just like {{#invoke:IPA|main}} does (compare {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}} 'industry' with {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}} 'Przemyśl'), which means that both of them behave more like consonants than vowels.
On the other hand, {{#invoke:IPA|main}} are not treated as phonetic consonants when they arise from vocalization of {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, {{#invoke:IPA|main}} or {{#invoke:IPA|main}} as they do not share almost all of their features with those three.
First segment is the nucleus
Bernese German
Bernese German has the following triphthongs:
- {{#invoke:IPA|main}} as in {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} 'boy'
- {{#invoke:IPA|main}} as in {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} 'feeling'
- {{#invoke:IPA|main}} as in {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} 'school'
They have arisen due to the vocalization of {{#invoke:IPA|main}} in the syllable coda; compare the last two with Standard German {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}} and {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, the last one with a schwa not present in the Bernese word.
Danish
Danish has the following triphthongs:<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
- {{#invoke:IPA|main}} as in {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} 'ferry'
- {{#invoke:IPA|main}} as in {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} 'to whirl'
- {{#invoke:IPA|main}} as in {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, a given name
- {{#invoke:IPA|main}} as in {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} 'sparrow'
English
In British Received Pronunciation, and most other non-rhotic (r-dropping) varieties of English, monosyllabic triphthongs with r are optionally distinguished from sequences with disyllabic realizations:
- {{#invoke:IPA|main}} as in: flour (compare with disyllabic "flower" {{#invoke:IPA|main}})
- {{#invoke:IPA|main}} as in: hire (compare with disyllabic "higher" {{#invoke:IPA|main}})
- {{#invoke:IPA|main}} as in: coir (compare with disyllabic "coyer" {{#invoke:IPA|main}}), loir (compare with disyllabic "lawyer" {{#invoke:IPA|main}})
{{#invoke:IPA|main}} are sometimes transcribed as Template:Angbr IPA, or similarly.Template:Citation needed
As {{#invoke:IPA|main}} and {{#invoke:IPA|main}} become {{#invoke:IPA|main}} and {{#invoke:IPA|main}} respectively before {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, most instances of {{#invoke:IPA|main}} and {{#invoke:IPA|main}} are words with the suffix "-er", such as player and slower. Less commonly, triphthongs appear as an inseparable part of a word, as in iron, society, or sour. Other instances are from loanwords or words derived from foreign sources, such as aorist, boa, and choir.
A unique aspect of English triphthongs, as compared to other sequences of three vowels, is their shared tendency to undergo reduction via a process known as smoothing.
Second segment is the nucleus
- {{#invoke:IPA|main}} as in {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}} 'ox'
- {{#invoke:IPA|main}} as in {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}} 'Uruguay'
- {{#invoke:IPA|main}} as in {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}} 'you [informal plural] change'
- {{#invoke:IPA|main}} as in {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}} 'that you [informal plural] may change'
The last two are mostly restricted to European Spanish. In Latin American Spanish (which has no distinct {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} form), the corresponding words are {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}} and {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, with a rising-opening diphthong followed by a nasal stop and initial, rather than final stress. In phonology, {{#invoke:IPA|main}} are analyzed as a monosyllabic sequence of three vowels: {{#invoke:IPA|main}}. In Help:IPA/Spanish, those triphthongs are transcribed Template:Angbr IPA: {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, {{#invoke:IPA|main}}