Back, closing and wide.
The glide of RP /aʊ/ begins at a point between the back and front open positions, slightly more fronted than the position for RP /ɑ:/, and moves in the direction of RP /ʊ/ approaching the half-close level [ö]. The glide is much more extensive than that used for /əʊ/ and is symmetrically opposed to the front RP diphthong /aɪ/. The lips change from neutrally open to weakly rounded. English /aʊ/ is similar to the Spanish diphthong in pausa (Span 'pause'), but the end-point is more relaxed and the starting point is a more retracted in Spanish.
| <ou, ow> | loud /laʊd/, frown /fraʊn/ , bow /baʊ/ | ||
| <ought> | drought /draʊt/ , slough /slaʊ/ | ||
| Rare case: |
|
| how /haʊ/ |
| allows /əˈlaʊz/ |
| a louse /ə laʊs/ |
| drought /draʊt/ |
| mountain /ˈmaʊntɪn/ |
| pronounce /prəˈnaʊns/ |
| renown /rɪˈnaʊn/ |
| round-eyed /raʊnd aɪd/ |
|
'Turn the brown couch upside-down
without doubts', shouted
Paul as loudly as he could.
/ ˈtɜ:n ðə ˈbraʊn ˈkaʊtʃ ˈʌpsaɪd daʊn wɪðˈaʊt dˈaʊts | ˈʃaʊtɪd ˈpɔ:l əz ˈlaʊdli əz hi ˈkʊd/ |
|
The doughty clown raised his eye-brows when he was allowed to take the plough by the bough,
and then browsed his foul task.
/ðə ˈdaʊti ˈklaʊn ˈreɪzd ɪz ˈaɪ braʊz wen ˈhi wəz əˈlaʊd tə ˈteɪk ðə ˈplaʊ baɪ ðə ˈbaʊ | ənd ðen ˈbraʊzd ɪz ˈfaʊl ˈtɑ:sk/ |
|
How much ground would a groundhog hog, if a groundhog could hog ground?
/ˈhaʊ ˈmʌtʃ ɡraʊnd wʊd ə ˈɡraʊndˌhɑ:ɡ hɒɡ | ɪf ə ˈɡraʊndˌhɑ:ɡ kəd hɒɡ ɡraʊnd/ |
The tongue moves upwards from an open front position to a half-close back position. The lips change from neutraly open to a weakly rounded position. The soft palate is raised (unless followed by a nasal).
Falling diphthong
The first sound in this diphthong is a vowel and the second element is a semivowel. The articulators move from an open position to a close position. To pronounce the second element, the semivowel [w], the tongue is close to the palate, in the same way as when we pronounce /u/. The vocal folds vibrate during the production of this sound.
| autor |
| causa |
| sauna |
|
|
The first sound is a vowel and the second element is a semivowel. The articulators move from an open position to a close position. The vocal folds vibrate during the production of this sound.