monophthong
Single vowel sound
A monophthong is a vowel sound that remains constant throughout its pronunciation, with the tongue and lips holding a single position.
This contrasts with a diphthong, where the sound glides from one vowel quality to another within the same syllable.
The vowel in bed is a monophthong, while the vowel in boy is not.
Languages vary in how many monophthongs they have; English has roughly a dozen, depending on dialect.
Unobstructed speech sound
- phonemeMinimal distinctive sound unit
- articulationClear vocal expression
- IPASound notation system
- transcriptionWritten version of speech
formant · pronunciation · speech sound · vocalization · oral cavity · acoustic · auditory · segmental
vowel
Unobstructed speech sound
- phonemeMinimal distinctive sound unit
- articulationClear vocal expression
- IPASound notation system
transcription · formant · pronunciation · speech sound · vocalization · oral cavity · acoustic · auditory · segmental · sonority
unrounded
Not made circular
close · open · mid · front · back · central · high · low · oral · nasal
Latin
Ancient Roman language
Finnish · Swahili · Hawaiian · Navajo · Korean · Greek · Arabic · Yoruba · Māori · dialect