Hero Doug Posted September 29, 2009 at 08:32 AM Report Share Posted September 29, 2009 at 08:32 AM On the Wikipedia page for Diphthongs they list some as rising, and some as falling. I'd like to know if anyone can clarify exactly how they rise or fall? 家 was given as an example of a rising diphthong for ia; so I'm wondering if native speakers kind of raise their intonation at the end of this word slightly. If you listen to the recording on this site it does kind of seem like it. Anyways I'm just looking for some opinions on the interpretation of the rising and falling aspect of diphthongs, thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daan Posted September 29, 2009 at 11:33 AM Report Share Posted September 29, 2009 at 11:33 AM What they mean by rising and falling dipthongs is explained in the first part of that Wikipedia article: Falling (or descending) diphthongs start with a vowel quality of higher prominence (higher pitch or louder) and end in a semivowel with less prominence, like [aɪ̯] in eye, while rising (or ascending) diphthongs begin with a less prominent semivowel and end with a more prominent full vowel, like [ɪ̯a] in yard. Is that what you were looking for? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hero Doug Posted September 30, 2009 at 10:03 AM Author Report Share Posted September 30, 2009 at 10:03 AM A bit embarrassing; but I didn't read that part. It does seem to clear things up quite clearly, thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and select your username and password later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.