Vowel Sounds: Diphthongs – JSS3 English Lesson Note (Third Term)

A diphthong is a vowel sound that glides from one vowel quality to another, with the first part more prominent.

• Other name: impure vowel.
• Number: English has eight diphthongs.
• Groups: front closing, back closing and centering.
• Also covered: literary terms used to study drama, such as plot, theme, character and conflict.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. define a diphthong and name the three groups of diphthongs;
2. describe how each of the eight diphthongs is produced;
3. give examples of words that contain each diphthong;
4. explain the literary terms plot, theme, character, dialogue, setting and conflict;
5. distinguish comedy, tragedy, farce, tragic-comedy and melodrama.

What is a diphthong?

A diphthong is a single vowel sound made by a movement, or glide, from one vowel quality to another.

• Glide: the tongue and lips move during the sound, so it does not stay in one position.
• Prominence: the first vowel is stronger than the second.
• Example: in /ei/, there is more prominence on /e/ than on /i/.
• Numbering: the eight diphthongs are numbered vowel 13 to vowel 20.

What are the groups of diphthongs?

There are three groups of diphthongs: front closing, back closing and centering.

How is each diphthong produced?

Each diphthong is produced by starting at one vowel position and gliding to another.

Front closing diphthongs

• Vowel 13 /ei/: start from the position of /e/ and glide towards /i/. The mouth closes progressively. Examples: day, lady, eight, rake.
• Vowel 15 /ai/: start with the tongue near the position of /a/ and move towards /i/. Examples: eyes, ice, my, time.
• Vowel 17 /ɔi/: start near the position of /ɔ/ and move towards /i/. Examples: boy, oil, soil.

Back closing diphthongs

• Vowel 14 /əu/ (also written /ou/): start from the central position and glide towards the upper back position. Many Nigerian speakers find the glide from /o/ to /u/ easy. Examples: go, know, coat.
• Vowel 16 /au/: start from the position of /a/ and move towards /u/. Examples: now, how, round, town.

Centering diphthongs

Centering diphthongs are those that glide towards the central part of the mouth.

• Vowel 18 /iə/: start from the position of vowel 2 and glide towards the central vowel /ə/. Examples: here, hear, rear, idea, fear.
• Vowel 19 /eə/: start from the position of the cardinal vowel /e/ and glide towards the central vowel. Examples: bear, scarce, there.
• Vowel 20 /uə/: start from the position of /u/ and glide towards the central /ə/. Examples: pure, tour, fuel, duel.

What are the literary terms used in drama?

Literary terms for drama are the words used to describe the parts, devices and kinds of a play.

What are the elements of a play?

• Plot: the arrangement of the story of the play. It should have a beginning, a middle and an end, so that the story is clear.
• Theme: the central idea of the play, also called the subject matter. Every drama passes a message to the audience.
• Character: a member of the cast. Characters carry the action, mood and dialogue of the play.
  • Major characters: the most important characters, who carry the main action.
  • Minor characters: less important characters who support the main action.
  • Round and flat characters: a separate classification. A round character is fully developed and can change. A flat character stays simple and unchanged.
• Dialogue: the speech of the characters, also called language or diction. It is the main way characters express their thoughts.
• Setting: the place and time in which the action of a play happens.
  • Physical setting: the place or time of day, such as a market, a village square, an office, morning or night.
  • Historical setting: the period, such as the olden days or the present time.
  • Social setting: the social atmosphere, such as language, occupation and religion.
• Conflict: the opposition between characters or forces in a play, caused by different ideas and interests.
  • It drives the dramatic action forward.
  • It brings out the theme of the play.
  • Characters create the conflict and then work to resolve it, so that the play can end.

What are dramatic irony and tragic flaw?

• Dramatic irony: a situation in which the audience understands words or actions that some characters in the play do not. It is also called tragic irony.
• Tragic flaw: a weakness in a tragic hero that finally causes his downfall, despite his impressive qualities.
• Examples of flaws: uncontrollable anger in Odewale in Ola Rotimi’s The Gods Are Not To Blame, and over-ambition in Macbeth.

What are the types of drama?

This note treats five types of drama: comedy, tragedy, farce, tragic-comedy and melodrama.

• Comedy: a drama with a generally light atmosphere and a happy ending. Example: Wole Soyinka’s The Lion and The Jewel.
• Tragedy: a drama with a serious, intense atmosphere and an unhappy ending. Examples: Ngugi’s The Black Hermit and Femi Osofisan’s Women of Owu.
• Farce: a lower kind of comedy in which believability is given up to cause laughter. Example: Zulu Sofola’s Wizard of Law.
• Tragic-comedy: a play that combines the main features of comedy and tragedy. It tends towards a happy ending, with relief after much anxiety.
• Melodrama: a play in which believability is given up for sensational action and shock. A tragedy that becomes unrealistic or unconvincing turns into melodrama.

Evaluation

1. What is a diphthong? Name the three groups of diphthongs.
2. Describe how the sound /ei/ is produced and give three examples of words that contain it.
3. Which diphthong is found in the words now, how and town?
4. Explain the terms plot and theme.
5. State the difference between a comedy and a tragedy.

Assignment

List ten literary terms used in drama and state the meaning of each.