A diphthong is two vowel sounds together. That means your mouth has to move: there is a beginning and an ending position. Study this diphthong with illustrations and up close, slow motion speech.
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Video Transcript:
In this American English pronunciation video, we’re going to learn how to pronounce the AY as in SAY diphthong.
Diphthongs are a combination of two sounds, so they have a starting position and an ending position.
In the first position, the jaw drops and the tongue tip touches the back of the bottom front teeth.
The top of the tongue pushes forward and lifts a bit.
The second sound is the IH as in SIT vowel.
To transition into this position, your jaw will lift as the top, front part of the tongue arches towards the roof of the mouth.
Let’s look at a word with this sound, ‘pay’.
The jaw drops, and you can see a lot of tongue as
the front and middle push up and forward.
As the top, front part of the tongue arches up towards the roof of the mouth, the jaw comes up
Lips are relaxed for this diphthong.
AY, pay.
In a stressed syllable like ‘pay’, the AY diphthong curves up then down.
Pay, ay.
In an unstressed syllable, it’s lower and flatter in pitch, as well as quicker and quieter, ay, ay.
The diphthong is unstressed in the word ‘driveway’, ay.
Let’s take a look at this word.
Just as before, the jaw drops, and you can see a lot of tongue as the front and middle push up and forward. Then the top, front part of the tongue arches up towards the roof of the mouth, and the jaw comes up.
Jaw drop may be a little less when this diphthong is in an unstressed syllable, as we tend to simplify mouth movements in unstressed syllables, which are shorter.
The AY diphthong, stressed: Pay, AY
Unstressed: driveway, ay
AY, ay, AY, ay.
Example words. Repeat with me:
Okay. AY- Okay.
Play. AY- Play.
Operate. AY- Operate.
Gain. AY- Gain.
Separate. AY- Separate.
Pain. AY – Pain
Hear the difference immediately.
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