| 释义 |
▪ I. diphthong, n.|ˈdɪfθɒŋ|
Forms: 5–6 diptong(e, (dypton), 6 dyphtong, diphthonge, -gue, 7–9 dipthong, 8 dipthongue, 6– diphthong.
[a. F. diphthongue, earlier dyptongue, ad. L. diphthong-us, a. Gr. δίϕθογγος, adj. having two sounds, n. a diphthong, f. δι-, δίς twice, doubly + ϕθόγγος voice, sound.]
A union of two vowels pronounced in one syllable; the combination of a sonantal with a consonantal vowel.
The latter is usually one of the two vowels i and u, the extremes of the vowel scale, which pass into the consonants y, w. When these sounds, called by Melville Bell glides, follow the sonantal vowel, the combination is called a ‘falling diphthong’, as in out, how, boil, boy; when they precede, the combination is a ‘rising diphthong’, as in It. uovo, piano. It is common in the latter case to consider the first element as the consonant w or y.
1483Cath. Angl. 100/2 A Diptonge [MS. A. Dypton], diptongus. 1530Palsgr. 213/2 Diphthonge, diphthongue. a1637B. Jonson Eng. Gram. v, Dipthongs are the complexions, or couplings of Vowells. 1668Wilkins Real Char. 15 I and u according to our English pronunciation of them, are not properly Vowels, but Diphthongs. 1749Power Pros. Numbers 9 All Dipthongs are naturally long. But in English Numbers they are often short. 1876C. P. Mason Eng. Gram. (ed. 21) §17 When two vowel sounds are uttered without a break between them, we get what is called a vocal or sonant diphthong. 1888J. Wright O.H. German Prim. §10 All the OHG. diphthongs..were falling diphthongs; that is, the stress fell upon the first of the two elements. 1892Sweet New Eng. Gram. 230 If two vowels are uttered with one impulse of stress, so as to form a single syllable, the combination is called a diphthong, such as (oi) in oil.
b. Often applied to a combination of two vowel characters, more correctly called digraph1.
When the two letters represent a simple sound, as ea, ou, in head |hɛd|, soup |suːp|, they have been termed an improper diphthong: properly speaking these are monophthongs written by digraphs.
1530Palsgr. 15 This diphthong ou..in the frenche tong shalbe sounded lyke as the Italians sounde this vowell u. c1620A. Hume Brit. Tongue (1865) 10 We have of this thre diphthonges, tuae with a befoer, ae and ai, and ane with the e befoer, ea. 1668Price in A. J. Ellis E.E. Pronunc. i. iii. (Chaucer Soc.) 125 That is an improper dipthong that loseth the sound of one vowel. There are eight improper dipthongs, ea ee ie eo, ea oo ui, ou obscure as in cousin. 1876C. P. Mason Eng. Gram. (ed. 21) §17 When two of the letters called vowels are written together to represent either a sonant diphthong or a simple vowel sound, we get a written diphthong or digraph. Ibid. §25 The same letter or diphthong often represents very different vowel sounds.
c. esp. In popular use, applied to the ligatures æ, œ of the Roman alphabet.
As pronounced in later L., and in modern use, these are no longer diphthongs, but monophthongs; the OE. ligatures æ and œ always represented monophthongs.
1587Harrison England ii. xix. (1877) i. 312 Waldæne with a diphthong. 1631Weever Anc. Fun. Mon. To Rdr. A ij, I write the Latine..as I find it..E vocall for E diphthong, diphthongs being but lately come into use. 1702Addison Dial. Medals (1727) 20 We find that Felix is never written with an œ dipthongue. 1756–7tr. Keysler's Trav. (1760) III. 222 The epitaph, in which the dipthong æ, according to the custom of those times, is expressed by a single e..Vitam obiit VII Id. Oct. etatis sue ann. I. & L.
d. transf. Applied to a combination of two consonants in one syllable (consonantal diphthong), especially to such intimate unions as those of ch |tʃ| and dg or j |dʒ|, in church, judge.
1862M. Hopkins Hawaii 65 The Hawaiian alphabet..is..destitute of consonant diphthongs. 1889Pitman Man. Phonogr. (new ed.) §64 The simple articulations p, b, t, d, etc. are often closely united with the liquids l and r, forming a kind of consonant diphthong..as in plough..try.
e. attrib. = diphthongal.
1798H. Blair Lect. I. ix (R.), We abound more in vowel and diphthong sounds, than most languages.
▪ II. ˈdiphthong, v.
[f. prec. n.: cf. mod.F. diphthonguer.]
trans. To sound as a diphthong; to make into a diphthong.
1846Worcester cites Chr. Observ. 1888Sweet Eng. Sounds 21 Isolative diphthonging or ‘vowel-cleaving’ mainly affects long vowels. Ibid. 277 The characteristic feature of the [living English] vowel-system is its diphthonging of all the earlier long monophthongs. 1894F. J. Curtis Rimes of Chariodus 50 Arguments for the diphthonging of ī in early texts. |